Children Are Getting Medical Care They Don’t Need

Public insurance linked to slightly more unnecessary medical treatments, study finds

Both privately and publicly insured children were subject to low-value and often unnecessary health care that exposed them to additional health risks. Iryna Inshyna/Shutterstock

Kids with public insurance are slightly more likely to receive medical care that they don’t need than those with private insurance, a new study finds.

One in nine publicly insured and one in 11 privately insured children received low-value care in 2014, according to the findings in Pediatrics.