Socio-economic status and child health: Does public health insurance narrow the gap?

Drawing on evidence from the U.S., this paper examines the effects of public health insurance on children. Recent expansions of American public health insurance programs to previously ineligible children have created a great deal of variation that can be used to identify their effects. Results indicate that providing public insurance ib poor children narrows socio-economic gaps in utilization and health among children, However, inefficiencies and inequities in the allocation of health care remain, which suggests that universality and outreach programs are also important components of the public health systems common in Europe.