What are the key barriers to enrollment and retention and how can health IT help?
One key issue regarding children’s health insurance is instability of coverage. This issue is often referred to as “churning,” and is the phenomenon of children losing and then regaining coverage within a short period of time. Such revolving coverage can lead to increased long-term costs due to (a) the administrative burdens associated with re-enrollment and (b) the cost of healthcare provided in inappropriate settings or increased cost of care due to lost opportunities for prevention or early treatment. Causes of churning include shortened continuous eligibility timeframes, complicated renewal procedures, changes in eligibility requirements, and changes in family status. Another key issue is ensuring that eligible children are identified and enrolled in public insurance systems. Families may not be aware of coverage eligibility for their children, and in many cases applications for enrollment are burdensome and require face-to-face interviews with paper-based, eligibility verification
