My Journal Courier

By: Mary Kuhlman

New data shows the number of uninsured children in Illinois rose about 8 percent last year, and advocates said they’re worried federal policies could thwart future progress. Researchers with the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families found that for the first time in a decade, the number of children without health coverage in the U.S. has gone up, with 5 percent of kids now uninsured. In Illinois, it’s almost 3 percent.

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Joan Alker, report co-author and Georgetown Center executive director, is also convinced that constant attacks on the Affordable Care Act and the move to cut Medicaid contributed to public unease about signing up. “The fact that our nation is going backwards on kids’ health coverage is very troubling,” Alker said. “And the fact that all 50 states failed to make progress, even those with the best of intentions, means they really couldn’t withstand these strong, national currents to protect their kids from losing coverage.”

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