The Impact of the Public Insurance Expansions on Children’s Use of Preventive Dental Care

To determine if children eligible for coverage by the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and Medicaid Programs were more likely to receive preventive dental visits after implementation of the SCHIP policy, retrospective cross-sectional analysis was done from the 1996–2000 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys (MEPS) data. We linked the individual level data from the MEPS to state-level information on program eligibility. Using logistic regression models that adjust for the complex survey design, the association between SCHIP implementation and receipt of preventive dental care was examined for children aged 3–18 with family incomes ≤200% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL). Children who were eligible for SCHIP/Medicaid coverage in their respective states were more likely to have received preventive care three years after SCHIP implementation than children with similar eligibility profiles prior to SCHIP implementation. SCHIP has successfully increased the proportion of eligible children receiving preventive dental care among children in families with incomes less than or equal to 200% FPL. Our findings indicate, however, that SCHIP needed time to mature before detecting significant effects on national level.