Brief Uninsurance among Children, 1997–2015 : Long-Term Trends and Recent Patterns
Jason Gates, Michael Karpman, Genevieve M. Kenney, Stacey McMorrow
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Using data from the National Health Interview Survey, this brief examines changes in the share of children age 18 and under without health insurance between 1997 and 2015. We also explore the characteristics and health care experiences of the remaining uninsured children in 2014. We find that the uninsurance rate for children has fallen steadily since the introduction of the Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997 and that uninsurance continued to drop following implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s key coverage provisions. However, some groups of children are disproportionately likely to be uninsured, and uninsured children face large gaps in health care access, affordability, and service use compared with their insured peers.
Research Areas Health and health care Children and youth
Tags Health insurance Federal health care reform Health equity Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program  Children's health and development Maternal, child, and reproductive health
Policy Centers Health Policy Center
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