An Analysis of California's First 5 Spending on Children's Health (ages 0-5) in a Rural, a Suburban, and an Urban County PDF Download

Author: Linda Marie McKesson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780355149784
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
Objective: To describe California’s Proposition 10 revenue, First 5’s expenditures on health and dental care, the number of children enrolled in Medi-Cal or Healthy Families programs, and the ACA’s influence on health and dental enrollment in a rural, a suburban, and an urban county between 2005 and 2015. Methods: A descriptive analysis for a rural (Amador), a suburban (Placer), and an urban (Sacramento) county from 2005 to 2015 which included the aggregate data from First 5’s Prop 10 revenue and health and dental expenditures along with the aggregate data from the California Department of Health Care Services on the number of children aged zero to five who were enrolled in Medi-Cal or Healthy Families. Results: The amount of Prop 10 revenue received by Amador, Placer, and Sacramento counties between 2005 and 2015 have declined by approximately 2-28%. First 5’s expenditures on health and dental care varied from county to county and year to year. All three counties spent less than 25% of their Prop 10 revenue on health and 0-40% on dental health. On average, Amador County spent $21 per child, Placer County $4, and Sacramento County $33 for health and dental care. The number of children enrolled in Medi-Cal or Healthy Families gradually increased for all three counties between 2005 and 2015 despite the diminishing Prop 10 revenue or First 5 spending. All three counties were proactive in enrolling children into Medi-Cal or Healthy Families well before the ACA was enacted. Conclusions: Even with declining Prop 10 revenue, California’s First 5 program may have been a buffer for young California children who otherwise would not have had health and dental insurance. Programs such as Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, Heathy Kids, and the ACA have made a difference for California’s low-income, uninsured, and ethnic children’s health and dental care.