Brief Uninsurance among Parents of Young Children, 1997–2014: Long-Term Trends and Recent Patterns
Michael Karpman, Jason Gates, Stacey McMorrow, Genevieve M. Kenney
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Using data from the National Health Interview Survey, this brief examines changes in health insurance coverage for parents living with a child age 5 or under. Previous studies indicate that young children are more likely to have coverage and receive well-child visits when their parents have insurance and are more likely to get needed health care when their parents are connected to the health care system. In this brief, we find that the share of parents of young children without coverage increased between 1997 and 2013 and then declined between 2013 and 2014, with nearly 1 in 5 parents of young children uninsured at the time of the survey in 2014. Parents of young children who reported in 2014 that they were insured for the previous year were more likely to have used health care services and to have been able to afford their health care than parents of young children who were uninsured for the previous year.
Research Areas Health and health care Children and youth
Tags Health insurance Federal health care reform Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program  Children's health and development Maternal, child, and reproductive health
Policy Centers Health Policy Center