‘Troubling’ Increase In Number Of Uninsured Kids Has Experts Worried That Country Is Backsliding On Pediatric Care
This is the first time in a decade the number of uninsured children has increased, and experts are worried it's a trend. “Without serious efforts to get back on track, the decline in coverage is likely to continue in 2018 and may, in fact, get worse for America’s children,” said Joan Alker, the report's lead author.
Los Angeles Times:
Number Of Uninsured Children Climbs, Reversing More Than A Decade Of Progress, Report Finds
The number of children in the United States without health insurance increased last year for the first time in more than a decade, according to a new report that highlights potentially worrisome backsliding in pediatric care. The erosion in health insurance came despite a robust economy, which in the past has helped fuel expansions in coverage. It likely reflects a number of steps taken by the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress that have targeted safety net programs such as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program known as CHIP, note the authors of the new report from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families. (Levey, 11/28)
Kaiser Health News:
Under Trump, Number Of Uninsured Kids Rose For First Time This Decade
While not a big jump statistically — the share of uninsured kids rose to 5 percent in 2017 from 4.7 percent a year earlier — it is still striking. The uninsured rate typically remains stable or drops during times of economic growth. In September, the U.S. unemployment rate hit its lowest level since 1969. “The nation is going backwards on insuring kids and it is likely to get worse,” said Joan Alker, co-author of the study and executive director of Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families. (Galewitz, 11/29)
Houston Chronicle:
Texas Leads Nation In Uninsured Kids As Gains Slip Away
Texas led the nation in children without health insurance as the number without coverage jumped last year, according to a new national health care report. An estimated 835,000 Texas children went without health insurance in 2017, an increase of about 80,000, or more than 10 percent, from 2016, according to the report by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families. To put those numbers into perspective, one in five of the nation’s uninsured children lived in Texas. (Deam, 11/28)
Dallas Morning News:
Report: Nation's Child Health Coverage Trend Turns Negative, And Texas Has A Fifth Of The Uninsured Kids
“This is a disturbing report,” said Adriana Kohler, senior health policy associate at the nonprofit Texans Care For Children. “Texas was already doing a bad job of making sure kids had health care, and now Texas is doing even worse.” (Stone, 11/29)
Austin American-Statesman:
Report: 1 In 5 Uninsured Children In Nation Live In Texas
Alker attributes the decline in children’s coverage to the increasing public perception that government-subsidized health insurance programs are no longer available. Conservative lawmakers have launched multiple efforts to scale back the Affordable Care Act, including the successful repeal of the individual mandate that had required anyone without health insurance to pay a penalty. (Chang, 11/28)
Tampa Bay Times:
In One Year, The Number Of Florida Kids With No Health Insurance Went Up By 37,000. Why?
The report, released early today by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, found that Florida, after years of marking declines in the number of children without health insurance, is suddenly seeing a rise.It’s part of a national trend, with the number of uninsured children in the U.S. increasing last year for the first time in a decade. But Florida is one of the outliers, one of nine states that showed the largest upticks of children in that category. (Griffin, 11/29)
Arizona Republic:
Arizona Among Worst States For Its Rate Of Uninsured Children, Report Says
Arizona has made improvements in reducing its rate of uninsured children but still ranked worse than most other states in 2017, a new report from Georgetown University said. The report, released Thursday, identified Arizona as one of 12 states with "significantly higher" rates of uninsured children — 7.7 percent — than the 2017 national average of 5 percent. (Innes, 11/29)
