Health Insurance Coverage of Children, 2010 (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Feb. 9, 2012 |
| Report Number |
R42343 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Annie L. Mach and Carol Rapaport, Analysts in Health Care Financing |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
In 2010, 90% of children had health insurance coverage in the United States, and 10% of children were uninsured. Among children with coverage, private health insurance, including employer-sponsored insurance and nongroup insurance, was the predominant source of coverage, followed by public coverage, including Medicaid and other means-tested public programs (e.g., the State Children's Health Insurance ProgramâCHIP), as well as Medicare and military health care.
These estimates, and the estimates detailed in this report, are from the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS, commonly known as the March Supplement). The CPS is representative of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States. National-level estimates in this report are created using the most recent CPS data, representing data from 2010, as well as historical data from previous years. State-level estimates are created using a three-year average of CPS data (representing data from 2008 to 2010), which provide reliable state estimates.
The national-level estimates provide only a limited understanding of the health insurance coverage of children under age 19. To better understand this population, the report provides an analysis of the variation in coverage by selected demographic and family characteristics, including age, race, ethnicity, citizenship status, poverty status, and family composition. For example, in 2010, non-citizen children, Hispanic children, and children not living with at least one parent/guardian were more likely to be uninsured compared with other children.
Another important factor affecting uninsurance rates among children is the variation across states. During the 2008-2010 period, the percentage of uninsured children ranged from a high of 17.3% in Texas to a low of 3.2% in Massachusetts. Not only does coverage vary by states, but the source of insurance coverage also varies by states. The percentage of children covered by private health insurance ranged from 80.1% in New Hampshire to 46.9% in Mississippi, and the percentage of children covered by public coverage ranged from 50.6% in the District of Columbia to 18.3% in Utah.
Finally, examining changes in coverage and source of coverage over time provides additional insight into insurance and sources of coverage for children. Between 2000 and 2010, the uninsured rate among children decreased by about 1 percentage point, while the percentage of children with private insurance decreased by more than 11 percentage points and the percentage with public coverage increased by 13.5 percentage points.
As Congress focuses on allocating limited resources to programs such as Medicaid and CHIP, a deeper understanding of the characteristics of uninsured children may prove useful to inform this discussion.
