This chapter focuses on the health care status and needs of children in family foster care and examines how this group of vulnerable children has been affected by welfare reform, the growth in managed care, and other health care reform efforts over the several years. It examines the significant role that Medicaid has played in meeting the health care needs of children in care and considers the impact of Medicaid managed care. Children in care also had significantly greater utilization of mental health care services; supportive care from visiting nurses, physical therapists; and hospitalization. The number of children in out-of-home care who will require adoption planning and services may increase. Managed care for children in family foster care, however, is not without significant potential problems. Children in out-of-home care are extremely vulnerable, with unusually poor health when compared to their peers who live at home.
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