Association of Medicaid with the delivery of services for children with or at risk for developmental delay

j2 2. STUDIES A Special Report Series by THE STATE CENTER FOR HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS P.O. Box 29538, Raleigh, N.C. 27626-0538 No. 84 April 1994 THE ASSOCIATION OF MEDICAID WITH THE DELIVERY OF SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH OR AT RISK FOR DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY N.C. DOCUMENTS clearinghouse by Harry' Herrick ABSTRACT MAY 20 1994 N.C. STATE LIBRARY RALEIGH This study examines the need for and use of early intervention sendees among families and their young children with or at risk for developmental delay. The study population included newborns to 3- year olds who were active in North Carolina’s Child Sendee Coordination Program (CSC) between January' and June of 1992. The need for sendee was defined by the type of referrals, or sendee needs, identified at initial registration. Use of sendee was defined by the number of referrals which were known to be met by the second contact with the family. Medicaid eligibility' was introduced as a descriptive variable to delineate two populations based upon economic differences. It was assumed that the use of sendees would be similar in both populations. Among Medicaid-eligible participants, 27 percent were in need of basic living sendees, such as transportation, while only 1 4 percent of non-Medicaid participants were identified with such needs. Conversely, 24 percent of non-Medicaid children were found to be in need of assessment sendees, such as vision or hearing evaluations, compared to 1 4 percent of Medicaid-eligible children. With regard to specific sendees most likely to be met, 46 percent of all financial referrals were met among the Medicaid group, and 39 percent of all therapeutic referrals were met among the non-Medicaid group. No difference was found in the average number of referrals needed between black and white participants. Chi-square statistics revealed that Medicaid status alone was not associated with a significant difference in the proportion of referrals met. However, when examining differences by race, the proportion of referrals met among Medicaid-eligible blacks was greater than that among non- Medicaid blacks, while such differences were not evident among white participants. These findings suggest that the need for services varies according to Medicaid status and that Medicaid may be an important determinant in the delivery of early intervention services for minorities. ША NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH. AND NATURAL RESOURCES ГЧ