A Randomized Trial of Effects of Parent Mentors on Insuring Minority Children
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Enrollment
- 329
- Locations
- 2
- Primary Endpoint
- Number of Children With Health Insurance
Study Overview
Brief Summary
The Kids' HELP trial rigorously documented that a Parent Mentor intervention results in multiple benefits: more children are insured faster, children's access to healthcare and parental satisfaction improve, quality of well-child care is enhanced, thousands of dollars are saved per child, jobs are created, disparities are eliminated, and the intervention potentially could save our nation billions of dollars.
Detailed Description
Background: Six million US children are uninsured, despite two-thirds being eligible for Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and minority children are at especially high risk. The most effective way to insure uninsured children, however, is unclear.
Methods: We conducted a randomized trial of the effects of parent mentors (PMs) on insuring uninsured minority children. PMs were experienced parents with >=1 Medicaid/CHIP-covered child who received 2 days of training, then assisted families for 1 year with insurance applications, retaining coverage, medical homes, and social needs; controls received traditional Medicaid/CHIP outreach. The primary outcome was obtaining insurance 1 year post-enrollment.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Health Services Research
- Masking
- Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- — to 18 Years (Child, Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •The parent/guardian is a primary caretaker of a least one child 0-18 years old who currently has no health insurance
- •The parent/guardian self-identifies the uninsured child as Hispanic/Latino, African-American/Black, or both
- •The uninsured child is eligible for either Medicaid or CHIP
- •The parent/guardian is willing to be contacted monthly by telephone, or in the form of a home visit (if no functioning telephone is present in the household).
Exclusion Criteria
- Not provided
Arms & Interventions
Control
After randomization to the control group, minority low-income parents of uninsured, Medicaid/CHIP-eligible children received only traditional Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) outreach and enrollment.
Parent Mentors
After randomization to the Parent Mentor group, minority low-income parents of uninsured Medicaid/CHIP-eligible children received face-to-face instruction and guidance from Parent Mentors on obtaining and keeping Medicaid/CHIP for their child; getting a doctor, dentist, and pharmacist; and addressing social determinants of health.
Intervention: Parent Mentors (Behavioral)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Number of Children With Health Insurance
Time Frame: One year after enrollment
A study child is considered insured once official written notification of insurance is confirmed, either through an electronic or hard copy of the state coverage letter, or via verification from the Texas Health and Human Services Center.
Secondary Outcomes
- Number of Days From Study Enrollment to Obtaining Coverage(One year after enrollment)
- Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER)(One year after enrollment)
- Parental Satisfaction With the Process of Obtaining Coverage for Child(One year after enrollment)
Investigators
Glenn Flores, MD
Professor, Chief Research Officer, and Associate Chair of Research
Connecticut Children's Medical Center