November 25, 2013
By Mike Clifford,
CONCORD, N.H. – A new report shows that the Granite State has slipped just a bit among the states for providing health coverage to kids. The findings, from the Georgetown Center for Children and Families (CCF), showed New Hampshire took a big bite out of the problem by pulling 3,000 kids out of the ranks of the uninsured between 2010 and 2012.
Still, said Tricia Brooks, CCF research associate professor and senior fellow, the Granite State could be doing even better.
“On paper, they do look good. They’ve got a coverage rate of 96 percent of kids, so they deserve credit for that. However, they’ve actually slipped out of the top 10 states for covering children.”
A poll, also released by the Georgetown Center, showed that most Americans incorrectly assume the numbers of children without health coverage have gone up. Brooks pointed out that New England states are setting the pace for much of the nation by increasing access to health coverage.
CCF Executive Director Joan Alker said many families cannot afford to buy their own health insurance right now, so it is vital that programs out there are working, and states are willing to let people know about them.
“Very few Americans are aware of the success that our country has had through Medicaid and CHIP in reducing the number of uninsured children,” Alker said. “That’s an important ‘good news story’ that needs to get out.”
Brooks said states that are now out in front for getting coverage to the highest percentage of kids opted for the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. That’s a surefire way the Granite State could get back into the top 10, she added.
“They’re continuing to debate the Medicaid expansion for parents, and if they do that – which would be a good thing – they are definitely likely to experience greater gains in the future for covering kids,” Alker predicted.
In the Georgetown poll, nine out of 10 Americans agreed that all children in their state should have health coverage. The number of uninsured kids in New Hampshire shrank from just under 14,000 in 2010 to well under 11,000 in 2012.
