http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payer/hospitals-more-likely-to-admit-children-private-insurance?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal&mrkid=959610&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTXpNd1lqZGlNR0U1WkRJeCIsInQiOiJLOWhzWGhXZ2FrUHdBMEg5d1VNTnppNTR6TEh5XC9tQjI1bDgxcVlUUWNcL1wvSWt0SkRUck9vYm90K1VuSlZJUGFpQ3RubDhPdjFFTWZFUEF1S3RDTUlpZ0VQbmtJRmYyOVg5ZHk0T3RiUUZYRT0ifQ%3D%3D

New research shows hospitals are more likely to admit children with private insurance over those with publicly funded plans, particularly during times when there are limited inpatient beds, an indication that reimbursement rates play a role in how hospitals manage pediatric patients in the emergency room.

Researchers from the National Bureau of Economic Research studied billing patterns for children in New Jersey that visited an emergency room between 2006 and 2012. The economists found that children with Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program that presented to the ER with flu symptoms were 10 percent less likely to be hospitalized than those with private plans, according to the Washington Post.  During peak flu season, when there was a shortage of inpatient beds, children between 2 and 10 years old on Medicaid and CHIP were 20 percent less likely to be admitted.