As part of an ongoing evaluation of early childhood participation in the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), we compared WIC participation and Medicaid costs from birth to age 5 for white and African-American children enrolled in Medicaid. We linked Medicaid, WIC, and birth records for children born in North Carolina in 1992 who were enrolled in Medicaid at any time during their first 5 years of life. Medicaid costs were examined by race and WIC participation status for this cohort of 49,800 children. For both racial groups, WIC participants were more likely than non-participants to use preventive health care services and had higher Medicaid costs for well-child visits. Regardless of WIC participation, African-American children had substantially higher total and inpatient Medicaid costs than whites during infancy. Low-income white children had substantially higher total Medicaid costs from ages 1 through 4 than African-American children. Costs for inpatient, outpatient, and physician services, prescription drugs, dental care, and ear and upper respiratory infections were lower for African-American children during ages 1 through 4. Low-income white and African-American children were equally as likely to use preventive care, although the proportion of low-income children receiving the recommended number of preventive well-child care visits is quite low. The results of this study suggest that enrollment in WIC may lead to increased use of preventive and other Medicaid services among low-income minority children.
Learning Objectives: Identify differences in WIC participation patterns, Medicaid costs, and use of well-child services for African American and white children enrolled in Medicaid
Keywords: Minority Health, WIC
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.