Gaps in coverage: a look at recent child health insurance trends
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Author(s):
- Osorio, Aubrianna, author Alker, Joan, author
- Contributor(s):
- Georgetown University. Center for Children and Families. issuing body.
- Publication:
- [Washington, DC] : Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, Center for Children and Families, November 2021
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Insurance Coverage -- trends Insurance, Health -- trends Medically Uninsured -- statistics & numerical data Child Health Services Accessibility United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- The number of uninsured children was on a downward trajectory for many years, but in 2017 started going back up, rising a full percentage point between 2016 and 2019. This issue brief examines the incidence and characteristics of children who experienced a period of uninsurance over the course of a recent year during this uptick and some of the consequences. This is a considerably larger group than the number of uninsured children reported by the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), which measures those who are uninsured at a point in time during the year, or by the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), which measures those who reported being uninsured for all of the prior year. Any gap in coverage is a problem for children and their families. Cost barriers lead to avoidance of care, especially for low-income families, and children need regular care. Well-baby and well-child visits are essential to track developmental milestones, receive immunizations and identify and treat acute or chronic conditions so they do not get worse. By age 16, 40 percent of girls and 64 percent of boys will have experienced at least one bone fracture. This requires urgent/emergency care that can result in serious medical debt for families should it occur during a gap in coverage. While families with higher incomes tend to have more steady coverage, low and moderate income families experience more coverage churn and periods of uninsurance.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (6 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918523073406676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918523073406676