From 2022 to 2024, the rate of uninsured children increased from 5.1% to 6%, which is the highest rate of uninsured children in a decade. This was a statistically significant change and equates to an 18% increase in the number of uninsured children nationwide, marking a dramatic reversal of the progress made on child health coverage. This data analysis is based on U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS).
Key Findings:
- From 2022 to 2024 the rate of uninsured children increased from 5.1% to 6%. This was a statistically significant change and equates to an 18% increase in the number of uninsured children nationwide. This is the highest rate of uninsured children in nearly a decade and it likely going to get worse. This is a dramatic reversal on the progress our nation had made improving child health coverage.
- This rise in the number of uninsured children was seen across all races and ethnicities with one exception, Asian children, whose coverage level remained steady. American Indian/Alaska Native children have the highest uninsured rate (12.4%), followed by Hispanic/Latino children (9.7%).
- Where a child lives is becoming increasingly important as to whether or not they have health insurance. Medicaid enrollment is closely correlated with the child uninsured rate. And the choices states made during the unwinding process, including how quickly they proceeded and how successfully they automated their process, made a critical difference in outcomes.
- Twenty-two states saw a statistically significant increase in the rate of uninsured children over the two-year period. The largest increase in the child uninsured rate occurred in Texas where the rate rose from 10.9% to 13.6% – a 29 percent increase in the number of uninsured children. An estimated 1.1 million uninsured children – nearly one quarter of the nation’s uninsured children – live in Texas. Other states with large increases in their child uninsured rate (in order) include Delaware and Idaho that are tied for second in the country behind Texas. New Mexico comes in fourth, while Arkansas, Kansas and South Dakota are tied for 5th with Georgia coming in close behind. The remaining states that saw significant increases in their child uninsured rate are Alabama, Colorado, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Ohio, Washington, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina and Massachusetts.
- One state, New Hampshire, saw its rate of uninsured children go down by 1.1 percentage points. The remaining states saw small movement in either direction that was not statistically significant.
[Researchers at the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families publish this report annually: View Past Reports Here]