Unmet health care needs and medical out-of-pocket expenses of SSI children

Abstract

Children with disabilities may have substantial health care needs due to their physical, mental, or emotional impairments. For many, taking care of these needs is critical to prevent further deterioration in their health and to promote the successful transition to life as an adult. In this paper we examine the unmet health care needs and medical out-of-pocket (MOOP) expenses for a subgroup of children with disabilities – those collecting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. Using the National Survey of SSI Children and Families (NSCF), we find that: (1) only 9 percent of SSI children report delaying or going without health care in the year before the interview and 24 percent report MOOP expenses; (2) Medicaid insurance reduces both the incidence of unmet needs and MOOP expenses for SSI children; (3) those with an unmet need have higher MOOP expenses and receive lower SSI payments; and (4) the vast majority of MOOP expenses are substantially less than SSI payments for most child recipients. In total, this research shows fairly good coverage of the medical needs and expenses of SSI youth before they transition to adulthood.