Access and Satisfaction Among Children in Georgia's Medicaid Program and SCHIP: 2000 to 2003

The lagging reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) affects States' plans for sustaining mature programs. This study used the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS(®)) program survey in order to assess changes in access and satisfaction for Georgia's SCHIP (PeachCare) and Medicaid children as PeachCare matured 2000 to 2003. Adjusting for family and child characteristics, PeachCare enrollees reported better access and higher satisfaction than Medicaid clientele initially, but access differences narrowed by 2003 while differences in satisfaction grew. This may point to cultural/language issues or treatment stigma for Medicaid clientele. Nonetheless, overall plan ratings remained high for both groups.