Online only: Number of uninsured kids declines as enrollees in state programs increase
Even though the total number of Americans without health insurance is on the rise, a new study analyzing government data suggests good news for the nation’s children.
The percentage of uninsured kids in America has decreased by 20 percent since the government-funded State Children’s Health Insurance Program was approved by Congress in 1997, according to a report released in August by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report found a 31-percent increase in kids enrolled in public insurance programs and a 5 percent decline in children being insured through private coverage.
The report shows that the number of uninsured children has decreased by 2 million since the creation of SCHIP and recent expansions in public programs. In the same period, the number of uninsured Americans has increased by nearly 5 million people. States with the biggest decline in the percentage of uninsured kids are Arkansas (-60 percent), Maine (-50 percent), Alabama (-47 percent), South Carolina (-46 percent) and North Dakota (-44 percent).
The report also shows that fewer children are receiving private health insurance, which is supplied mostly through their parents’ employer-sponsored health plans. The percentage of children who have private health insurance has fallen by five percent since 1997-98. That means 1.4 million fewer kids have private health insurance. States with the biggest decline in percentage of children having private health insurance include New Mexico (-23 percent), Mississippi (-23 percent), Alaska, (-23 percent), Oklahoma (-19 percent) and Wyoming (-17 percent).
“The decline in the number of uninsured kids is a rare piece of good news for our nation’s health care system,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “The success of SCHIP and other public programs has provided a much-needed safety net for our nation’s children, especially as fewer children are receiving employer-sponsored coverage. Congress was right to have the foresight in 1997 to authorize these programs. Our nation’s leaders must continue to make health coverage for all children a top priority.”
Despite the success of public programs, millions of children remain uninsured. The latest Census data show that nearly 8.3 million children remain uninsured nationwide. Experts say that more than 70 percent of these children are likely eligible for low-cost or free health care coverage through SCHIP or Medicaid, but have not yet enrolled. Programs exist in every state and the District of Columbia. Eligibility varies by state and is based on family size and income.
“We know that healthy children are better prepared to learn in school and succeed in life. That is why health insurance and programs like SCHIP and Medicaid are critical to the overall health and success of our students,” said Reg Weaver, president of the National Education Association. “Back-to-school season is the ideal time to make sure that children have the health coverage they need. We all can help by making sure that parents of uninsured kids know about these programs and find out if their kids are eligible. Children are this nation’s most important asset, and we all should do everything we can to ensure that they succeed.”
The report was prepared by analysts at the State Health Access Data Assistance Center at the University of Minnesota and analyzes data from the U.S. Census Bureau (1998-2005 Current Population Surveys) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey, 2004). Additional findings show that being uninsured for all or part of the year can have serious consequences for kids:
* Uninsured kids are twice as likely not to receive any medical care in a given year, compared to children with insurance (12.3 percent insured vs. 25.6 percent uninsured).
* More than one in three (35.0 percent) uninsured children do not have a personal doctor or nurse—which is significantly higher than children who have health coverage (13.5 percent).
“This report confirms that uninsured children face a disadvantage in their ability to access health care, compared to children who have health coverage,” said Sarah Shuptrine, national program director for the Covering Kids & Families program. “When children do not make regular visits to the doctor, or receive medical attention when it is needed, they risk minor illnesses becoming major ones. Children need health coverage so that they receive all the care they need, when they need it, to grow and thrive.”
To view the full research report, locate Covering Kids & Families Back-to-School activities or download materials in English or Spanish, log on to www.coveringkidsandfamilies.org.
Covering Kids & Families is a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focused on reducing the number of eligible but uninsured children and adults through enrollment in Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program. It is the nation's single largest effort of its kind.
Story courtesy Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Aug. 9, 2006. This story does not contain original reporting by The Nation’s Health staff.
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