Publications by Gerry Fairbrother for Health Policy Center

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Managing children's care in Medicaid is difficult if they experience inadequate tenures in health plans. Case studies of five states found that children's tenures in health plans was two to four months shorter than their (often short) tenures in Medicaid itself. Major reasons for the discrepancy were retroactive enrollment practices in Medicaid and delays in enrollees' selection of a health plan. Frequent and burdensome Medicaid recertification processes exacerbate the problem, frequently resulting in breaks in enrollment in Medicaid and the need to reenroll in health plans. The value of managed care for children in Medicaid is undermined as a consequence. (Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. 2005; 16:444-452)

This study examines the effect of stressful family environments on children's access to and use of health care, using data from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families. Having health insurance was the strongest predictor of health care access and use, but stressful family environments were significantly and inversely associated with parents' having confidence in the ability of family members to obtain health care, children having health care needs met, and children having any dental care in the previous year. The authors conclude that stressful family environments appear to influence the ability of parents to obtain care for their children. (Fairbrother, Gerry, Genevieve Kenney, Karla Hanson, and Lisa Dubay. April 2005. "How Do Stressful Environments Relate to Access and Use of Health Care by Low-Income Children?" Medical Care Research and Review 62(2): 205-230.)

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