It works for children in need by providing them with the best possible health care. It works for tax payers by providing this health care cheaply and efficiently. And it works for Rhode Island as a whole by ensuring that everyone stays healthy when disease is kept in check. To find out more about why RIte Care works, please choose a section:
Children are the most precious resource of both this state and this country and in order for us to guarantee that they receive every chance at a successful future, we have to first guarantee their health. Children who are healthy are better able to learn while in school and participate in extra-curricular activities. RIte Care provides insurance to children who come from low-income homes which allows kids who normally wouldn’t be able to afford the cost of proper healthcare to have access to doctors.
Since its inception in 1993, RIte Care has dramatically improved the access to health care for Rhode Island’s youngest citizens and their mothers. In Providence alone, the number of low-birth weight babies decreased by half and the percentage of infants who had a physician’s visit in their first weeks of life increased to 70% from 54%. 1
Due to RIte Care’s interventions, the percentage of women who smoked during pregnancy dropped down to just 24%. Smoking is associated with low birth weights and so less smoking means healthier moms and healthier children. 2
Rhode Island faced 8.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990. After RIte Care took effect, this number dropped to 6.5 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1999. 3
Nearly all (98%) of the families on RIte Care report that they are very satisfied with the program. Moreover, 93% reported that that they had an appointment with their regular doctor in the past year. Ensuring access to basic and regular medical care ensures that Rhode Island’s children and their families will remain healthy for years to come.
RIte Care is a highly efficient program that uses managed care to deliver the highest quality health care at the lowest possible price. There is no cheaper way to cover low-income children and their families.
RIte Care costs only about $200 per member per month to provide comprehensive health insurance coverage to low-income children and families. 4
Rhode Island tax payers only contribute $96 of this $200 monthly cost. The Federal Government covers the rest of the bill. 5
As of State Fiscal Year 2005, the 129,000 low-income children and families who are covered by RIte Care makeup about 70% of all Medicaid enrollees in Rhode Island. 2 Yet they are responsible for just 20% of the total spending. 4
Other segments of the Medicaid population not largely enrolled in managed care—as RIte Care children and families are— have much higher costs despite being a much smaller part of the overall population. For example, adults with disabilities comprise just 14% of the Medicaid population but account for 38% of the costs. 4
Every additional $100 million spent in Medicaid, of which RIte Care is a part, generates 2,200 jobs and brings in $8 million in tax revenues to the State. 6
RIte Care benefits all children who live in Rhode Island, including those who are not insured by this program. Even if you and your family have private health insurance, you benefit from Rite Care. You work with parents who are insured by RIte Care and your children go to school and play with children insured by RIte Care. By providing low-income children with proper medical treatment and necessary vaccinations and immunizations, RIte Care ensures that all Rhode Island families will remain healthy.
RIte Care keeps about 87,000 Rhode Island children healthy in addition to some of their parents. Children covered by RIte Care receive immunizations on time. Rhode Island ranks among the top six states in the country for immunization rates ensuring that children are being inoculated, thus preventing them from contracting various infections. 7 8
Currently 40% of school age children in Rhode Island are enrolled in RIte Care. Those students who are enrolled receive greater access to primary care doctors than those who are uninsured. Last year 92% of children on RIte Care received an annual check-up. Studies of the uninsured have shown that they are more likely to delay needed care, not fill prescriptions, skip recommended medical tests or treatments, and not see a specialist because of the cost. With more children seeing doctors, they will be treated for any illness they have which reduces the chance that it will be passed on to another child. 7 8
Due to RIte Care, the proportion of pregnant mothers receiving access to prenatal care improved from 70% in 1993 to 82% in 2003. Mothers who can make sure that their babies are developing normally can provide a better, healthier start for their children. And these healthy children aren’t as susceptible to carrying and transferring illnesses to other children with private insurance. 8
RIte Care also provides children with access to dental care, which is necessary for the overall well-being of a child. Poor oral health that is chronic is associated with a failure to thrive in toddlers, reduced school performance, poor self-image, and increased absenteeism in school-aged children. Children who are distracted by health issues or who don’t attend school because of their poor health won’t receive the opportunity to properly learn and could be more disruptive in the classroom—which affects all children’s ability to learn. 9
1. Building Quality into RIte Care: How Rhode Island is Improving Health for Its Low-income Populations, Sharon Silow-Carol, The Commonwealth Fund, January 2003, http://www.ritecare.ri.gov/documents/nationalpub/Building_Quality_into_RIte_Care.pdf
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