A Guide to Understanding the Well-Being of Children & Families in Erie County, Pennsylvania
Children Under Age 18 Receiving Medical Assistance
CHARTS
Children Under Age 18 Receiving Medical Assistance by MunicipalityMEASUREMENT
Lou Canderosi, of the Erie County Assistance Office, reported total unduplicated recipients (under the age of 18) of MA on June 30 for years 1998 through 2002. Population figures are the 100-percent enumeration counts from the STF1 file, tables P12A - P12I of the 2000 Census. The percentage of children on TANF is the number of children on TANF divided by the number of children under age 18 and multiplied by 100.
DESCRIPTION
Medicaid or Medical Assistance (MA) is a health insurance program for low-income and needy people who meet eligibility requirements. It is funded through both federal and state dollars. Eligibility requirements are higher than those for TANF so those receiving TANF are generally eligible. MA also provides for some children, aged and disabled who meet eligibility criteria.
DATA ANALYSIS
- There has been an 18.3% increase in the number of MA recipients of any age nationwide between 1998 and 2001. During 2001, approximately 73.9 million people received MA in the United States.1 Between 1998 and 2002, the percentage of children in Erie County receiving MA rose 24.9% while the increase was 32.8% for the City of Erie.
- Of the children in the county receiving MA, the City of Erie comprised 61.7%.
FOOTNOTE
1 Medicaid Enrollment and Beneficiaries.(n.d.). Retrieved January 24, 2003, from http://cms.hhs.gov/researchers/pubs/datacompendium/2002/02pg34.pdf.