Study of Uninsured Children in America

There is good news about the number of American children who have health coverage. A report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says that the number of uninsured kids has dropped significantly- from 9.7% in 2008 to 7.5% in 2012. Foundation spokeswoman Kathy Hempstead gives details.  “I think a lot of it is an expansion in public coverage that has occurred in a number of states and more kids are eligible for Medicaid and CHIP.” Hempstead says that the figures are from before the federal health reform law took effect and they will be watching for the impact of “Obamacare”. “I think it’s a really helpful baseline for us to keep in mind when we look ahead and see what further coverage gains we are going to experience among kids and adults with the roll out of the various provisions of the Affordable Care Act.” Access to health care is essential to healthy growth, concludes Hempstead.  “The biggest impact is on the health of those kids and the well being of their families.  Those kids are getting access to well checkups and sick visits, they are getting vaccinations and it is really important for healthy growth for kids to have good access to health care.” No state showed an increase in uninsured kids over the four years but there is wide variation in the states. The percentage of uninsured children ranged from a high of 17% in Nevada to 1.4% in Massachusetts.