Introduction

This is the third evaluation report in the continuing assessment of the Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa program (hawk-i), Iowa's Separate State Child Health Insurance Program (S-SCHIP). The emphasis of this report is the effect of the hawk-i participating health plans on access to care, health status and family environment of enrolled children. As in the first evaluation report, parents' responses to a survey given at the time they joined the program (the baseline survey) are compared with their responses to a survey given after their child was enrolled for about a year (the follow-up survey). This is to determine if there are differences related to being in the hawk-i program for that time period. In this report, the results are also presented for each health plan as part of the ongoing hawk-i quality assurance activities and health plan performance measurement activities.

This study was authorized by Iowa House File (HF 2517), the bill that created the hawk-i program, to evaluate the impact the program is having on enrolled children and their families. It is being conducted in coordination with the hawk-i Clinical Advisory Committee and the hawk-i Board of Directors. Both the hawk-i Clinical Advisory Committee and Board of Directors approved this report prior to its public release.