Health Care for Foster Care Children Enrolled in Medicaid

Although children in foster care may suffer physical, emotional, or developmental problems because of abuse or neglect, little is known about the adequacy of the health care services they receive. Yet Mathematica's research shows that foster care children enrolled in Medicaid are more likely to have a mental health or substance abuse condition than other Medicaid-enrolled children. They are also less likely to have continuous, year-round health insurance coverage, an important factor in access to care.

Mathematica used Medicaid claims records from California, Florida, and Pennsylvania to clarify the health care picture for these children, who were compared with children who received adoption assistance, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) over a two-year period in the mid-1990s.

A policy brief details the findings from our study of foster care children and Medicaid, conducted for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Click here for the full report on which the policy brief is based.

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