Wide Differences in Children's Health Care
Maggie is 9 years old and has aplastic anemia. She received a bone marrow transplant from her sister at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital.
"We couldn't ask for any better care," Deb Saunders said. "It's awesome having this hospital."
The hospital treats about 7,000 children each year and is one hospital in the highest ranked children's health system according to a recent Commonwealth Fund study.
The Commonwealth Fund has issued its report on the status of children's health care across the United States. Their scorecard is the first to assess children's health care on a state-by-state basis and assessed states across 5 categories - access to care, quality of care, costs, equity and healthy outcomes.
The scorecard goes on to state that, while no state performed at the top in all categories, some states surpassed others and it tended to be by geographic regions. States in the Northeast and Upper Midwest often ranked high in multiple areas. In contrast, states with the lowest rankings tend to be concentrated in the South and Southwest but there is room for improvement in all states, even the highest ranking.
The striking differences across states add up to real consequences for children and their families. The report estimates that if all states performed as well as the top states:
An additional 4.6 million children nationwide would have health insurance;
11.8 million more children would get their recommended yearly medical and dental check-ups;
1.6 million fewer children would be at risk for developmental delays;
10.9 million more children would have a medical home; and
Nearly 800,000 more children would be up-to-date on their vaccines."The health of our children is paramount to our country's long-term success. This scorecard serves notice that children's health and well-being are at risk," said co-author and Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis. "We must invest in children's health and health care to ensure that they have the opportunity to become healthy and productive adults. The time to begin is now."
More details: U.S. Variations In Child Health System Performance: A State Scorecard
