American Medical News
December 19, 2011
Washington — The number of uninsured children decreased significantly in recent years, largely because Medicaid started covering more kids who otherwise would have remained uninsured. But state leaders are concerned that budget deficits will continue in the near future because of a weak economic recovery and steadily increasing Medicaid
spending.
The uninsured child population shrank by approximately 1 million between 2008 and 2010 to reach 5.9 million — a 14% drop, according to a report released Nov. 29 by the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute’s Center for Children and Families. Over the same period, the number of children in poverty increased from 13.2 million to reach 15.7 million, said the study, which is based on U.S. Census Bureau estimates.