@article{ref1,
title="Parent mentors and insuring uninsured children: a randomized controlled trial",
journal="Pediatrics",
year="2016",
author="Flores, Glenn and Lin, Hua and Walker, Candy and Lee, Michael and Currie, Janet M. and Allgeyer, Rick and Fierro, Marco and Henry, Monica and Portillo, Alberto and Massey, Kenneth",
volume="137",
number="4",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Six million US children are uninsured, despite two-thirds being eligible for Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and minority children are at especially high risk. The most effective way to insure uninsured children, however, is unclear. <br><br>METHODS: We conducted a randomized trial of the effects of parent mentors (PMs) on insuring uninsured minority children. PMs were experienced parents with ≥1 Medicaid/CHIP-covered child who received 2 days of training, then assisted families for 1 year with insurance applications, retaining coverage, medical homes, and social needs; controls received traditional Medicaid/CHIP outreach. The primary outcome was obtaining insurance 1 year post-enrollment. <br><br>RESULTS: We enrolled 237 participants (114 controls; 123 in PM group). PMs were more effective (P<.05 for all comparisons) than traditional methods in insuring children (95% vs 68%), and achieving faster coverage (median = 62 vs 140 days), high parental satisfaction (84% vs 62%), and coverage renewal (85% vs 60%). PM children were less likely to have no primary care provider (15% vs 39%), problems getting specialty care (11% vs 46%), unmet preventive (4% vs 22%) or dental (18% vs 31%) care needs, dissatisfaction with doctors (6% vs 16%), and needed additional income for medical expenses (6% vs 13%). Two years post-PM cessation, more PM children were insured (100% vs 76%). PMs cost $53.05 per child per month, but saved $6045.22 per child insured per year. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: PMs are more effective than traditional Medicaid/CHIP methods in insuring uninsured minority children, improving health care access, and achieving parental satisfaction, but are inexpensive and highly cost-effective.<br><br>Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0031-4005",
doi="10.1542/peds.2015-3519",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-3519"
}