Health Insurance is a Family Matter

Health Insurance is a Family Matter is the third of a series of six reports on the problems of uninsurance in the United Sates and addresses the impact on the family of not having health insurance. The book demonstrates that having one or more uninsured members in a family can have adverse consequences for everyone in the household and that the financial, physical, and emotional well--being of all members of a family may be adversely affected if any family member lacks coverage. It concludes with the finding that uninsured children have worse access to and use fewer health care services than children with insurance, including important preventive services that can have beneficial long-term effects.

• Front Matter
• Executive Summary
• 1 A Family Matter
• 2 Insurance Coverage of Families
• 3 Insurance Transitions Over the Family Life Cycle
• 4 Financial Characteristics and Behavior of Uninsured Families
• 5 Family Well-Being and Health Insurance Coverage
• 6 Health-Related Outcomes for Children, Pregnant Women, and Newborns
• 7 Conclusions
• Appendix A: Conceptual Framework for Evaluating the Consequences of Uninsurance for Families
• Appendix B: Overview of Public Health Insurance Programs
• Appendix C: Research Review: Health Care Access, Utilization, and Outcomes for Children, Pregnant Women, and Infants
• Appendix D: Data Tables
• Appendix E: Glossary
• Appendix F: Biographical Sketches
• References