88% of uninsured children live in households with a working parent

Oct 3 2006

A majority of the nine million uninsured children in the U.S. live in households where at least one parent works full-time, year-round, according to a report released by the advocacy group Families USA, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

The report finds that 88.3% of uninsured children ages 18 and younger live in a household with one working parent, and about 70% of uninsured children live in a household with a parent who works full-time, year-round (Freking, AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer).

According to the study, uninsured children are less likely to have a primary source of health care and often have fewer doctor visits compared with insured children.

In addition, uninsured children have more unmet medical and dental needs than insured children, the report finds (Billings Gazette).

Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, said the study refutes many stereotypes people have about the uninsured.

"I think they believe these are low-income people who don't work, who are very different from themselves," he said, adding, "These are people who work, who are doing the right thing."

About two-thirds of uninsured children would be eligible for insurance if their parents applied, the report states.

"The reason these children are not participating is that, No. 1, many don't know about it, and No. 2, the enrollment process is cumbersome," Pollack said. Texas has the highest rate of uninsured children in the U.S. at 20.4%, followed by Florida, New Mexico, Nevada and Montana.

Vermont has the lowest rate of uninsured children in the U.S. at 5.6%, followed by Michigan, Hawaii and New Hampshire. Nationwide, 11.6% of children are uninsured (AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer).

The report is available online.