Enrollment success in state children's health insurance program after free clinic referral.

INTRODUCTION: More than 11 million children remain uninsured and receive no primary health care despite the advent of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate whether each child in a northeast Ohio county free pediatric clinic is referred to S-CHIP and whether the enrollment process is successful. METHOD: A record review was done to evaluate documentation indicating that such a referral was made. A phone call was made to each family for whom there was no evidence of application to S-CHIP. RESULTS: Twenty-eight referrals to Ohio's S-CHIP were documented (60%). Only 12% of families submitted an application to S-CHIP. Ten parents agreed to share their reasons for nonsubmission, the most common reason being that they thought their household income too high, followed by they did not think the program was needed. DISCUSSION: The mere existence of or referral to such a program is not adequate to ensure utilization of health care resources. Recommendations are made to increase enrollment and access to health care for low-income children.