Parental employment and health insurance coverage among school-aged children with special health care needs

OBJECTIVES: This study examined parental employment and health insurance coverage among children with and without special health care needs. Special needs were defined as conditions likely to require a high amount of parental care, potentially affecting parental employment. METHODS: Data from the 1994 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed for 21,415 children aged 5 to 17 years, including 1604 children with special needs. Logistic regression was used to estimate the effect of special needs on the odds of full-time parental employment and on the odds of a child's being uninsured, having Medicaid, or having employer-sponsored insurance. RESULTS: Parents of children with special needs had less full-time employment. Their children had lower odds of having employer-sponsored insurance (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.7) than other children. Children with special needs had greater odds of Medicaid coverage (adjusted OR = 2.3-5.1, depending on family income). Children with and without special needs were equally likely to be uninsured. CONCLUSIONS: Lower full-time employment among parents of children with special needs contributes to the children's being less likely to have employer-sponsored health insurance. Medicaid covers many children with special needs, but many others remain uninsured.