Addressing coverage gaps for low-income parents

This paper examines how rates of uninsurance for low-income parents have been changing over time and the extent to which expanding coverage to parents through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) could help them. We find that uninsurance rates have been rising for low-income parents, especially those living in poverty, and that Medicaid and SCHIP could greatly reduce uninsurance among parents and would likely increase their access to care. Such expansions would still leave many noncitizen parents uninsured and would requite reaching and enrolling families whose children have remained uninsured despite being eligible for public coverage.