ABC News
The number of children who are uninsured in the U.S. is on the rise for the first time in nearly a decade, with 276,000 more children going without insurance in President Donald Trump’s first year in office than in 2016, according to findings released Thursday by Georgetown University.
Researchers and anti-poverty advocates say it’s an unsettling uptick after years of progress, and they blame GOP-led efforts that have kept some states from expanding Medicaid. They also point to Trump’s aggressive focus on curbing immigration and say many families are too worried that signing their children up for government-backed insurance would complicate ongoing immigration proceedings.
“This constellation of national trends has likely created an ‘unwelcome mat’ effect where families are unaware of their options or deterred from seeking coverage,” according to the report by Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute’s Center for Children and Families.
