Ninth in a series of papers from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families on the future of children’s health coverage.

Introduction

The nation made remarkable progress in reducing the rate of uninsured children, following decades of coverage expansions and policy changes that made it easier for children and their families to get and stay covered.¹ But, in 2018, the rate of uninsured children increased for a second year in a row to 5.2 percent.² Early warning signs pointed to a large increase in the uninsured rate in 2018, such as the historic decline of over 1 million children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP between December 2017 and May 2019.³

Policymakers must renew their efforts to regain momentum on children’s coverage and strive to reach all children, because research shows that having coverage as a child leads to better educational outcomes, higher-paying jobs as an adult, and improved health over the lifetime.⁴

National Continuum of Children’s Health Coverage

Full Report

Read the full report.

1. J. Alker and O. Pham, “Nationwide Rate of Uninsured Children Reaches Historic Low” (Washington: Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, October 2017), available at https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2017/10/22/nationwide-rate-of-uninsured-childrenreaches-historic-low/.
2. J. Alker and L. Roygardner, “The Number of Uninsured Children is On the Rise” (Washington: Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, October 2019), available at https://ccf.georgetown.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2019/10/Uninsured-Kids-Report.pdf.
3. T. Brooks, E. Park, and L. Roygardner, “Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Decline Suggests the Child Uninsured Rate May Rise Again” (Washington: Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, May 2019), available at https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2019/05/28/medicaid-and-chip-enrollment-decline/; and T. Brooks, “Latest CMS Data Show Slight Improvement in Decline in Child Enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP” (Washington: Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, December 2019), available at https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2019/12/06/latest-cms-data-show-slight-improvementin-decline-in-child-enrollment-in-medicaid-and-chip/.
4. K. Wagnerman, A. Chester, and J. Alker, “Medicaid is a Smart Investment in Children” (Washington: Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, March 2017), available at https://ccf.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MedicaidSmartInvestment.pdf.