Congressional Research Service Uses AHRQ Data on Uninsured Children

Congressional Research Service (CRS) testimony at a House hearing on uninsured children included estimates on children's sources of health care coverage based on Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data. The testimony presented in February 2007 before the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee has been influential in informing Congressional decisions about the future of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a major source of coverage for uninsured children.

The CRS testimony provided important information on the role SCHIP and other public programs play in reducing uninsurance rates among children across the nation. Trends in children's health insurance coverage were also reviewed. Chris Peterson, Specialist in Social Legislation at CRS, prepared and presented the testimony. Peterson made extensive use of AHRQ statistical briefs, working papers, data tables, and special analyses, all based on MEPS.

The subcommittee hearing examined the lack of insurance among children and the role of public programs such as SCHIP in alleviating this problem. The testimony presented estimates of children's health insurance coverage and analyzed the role played by private and public insurance in covering children.

Enacted in 1997 as Title XXI of the Social Security Act, SCHIP covered 6.6 million children-most from low-income families-across the United States in FY 2006.