BCTV
According to the new report by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, 95% of the nation’s children are insured as of 2015. This historical mark was influenced by Pennsylvania, as it increased its number of insured children by approximately 25% within 2013 and 2015.
George Hoover, health policy director at Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, attributed much of their progress to the Affordable Care Act, but mentioned that there’s still work to be done. Pennsylvania must also provide insurance to adults, in order to ensure their children having insurance as well.
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A report released Thursday by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families showed that between 2013 and 2015, the number of children without health insurance in the state dropped by 36,000, achieving an overall insured rate of almost 96 percent.
Joan Alker, director of the Georgetown Center and co-author of the report, said that getting health insurance to 95 percent of children nationally was a historic milestone, but she said all children need to be covered.
“And that’s because health coverage is so important for kids,” Alker said. “It allows them to access primary preventive care, they’re more likely to attend school, graduate from high school and even go to college.”
She said that strengthening Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and the Children’s Health Insurance Program will be critical for further progress.
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