IOS Press Editorial Discrepancies in Health Care Funding for Individuals with Special Needs

total US population – lack health insurance [10]. An additional 25 million have insurance plans that limit their access to services, or cover only a small percentage of expenses – they, in fact, are underinsured. In 1997, the original State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) established coverage for children who did not qualify for Medicaid but whose families could not af-ford private insurance. This legislation reduced the rate of uninsured low-income children by almost one third, from 23 % (7.6 million children) to 14 % (5.6 million children) and improved health care quality. The preva-lence of uninsured children in 2007 ranged from 4.1% to 21.2 % across various states [7]. In 2009, 7 million children were enrolled in SCHIP and 29 million chil-dren were enrolled in Medicaid. CHIP’s (Children’s Health Insurance Program) reauthorization in 2009 lib-eralized the means test criteria (> 300 % of the federal poverty level) of the initial legislation, extended cover-age to more recent immigrants (less than 5 years) and authorized the states to cover an increased number of services, including dental and mental health care. Children under the age of 18 years comprise 26% of the US population, yet they are responsible for only 10 % of total healthcare expenditures and consume only 9 % of public funds for healthcare [10]. However, the 14 % of children and youth in the United States with special health care needs account for 42 % of the medi