Children on Medicaid and Regular Checkups

Millions of Medicaid kids don’t get medical exams, By Kelli Kennedy (AP), May 24, 2010, Miami Herald: “Almost three-quarters of children on Medicaid in nine states are not getting all of their legally required medical, vision and hearing examinations, including immunizations, according to a new government study. The study, conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services inspector general, estimated that 2.7 million of the 3.8 million children in those states, or 76 percent, did not receive one or more of the medical, vision or hearing screenings during 2007, the year studied. The studied states are Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia. Doctors say regular checkups are especially important for low-income children who are at higher risk for chronic problems including obesity, depression and poor cognitive development…”