Uninsured Children Often Go Without Medical Care

A new study released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that one-third of the 8.4 million American children without health insurance go without any medical care for an entire year. The study, titled Going Without: America's Uninsured Children, also showed that uninsured children in virtually every state do not receive all the medical care they need. In comparison, nearly 88 percent of insured children received care during the same period.

The report noted that more than 7 out of 10 uninsured children are eligible for Medicaid or coverage through the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Though there are many children being left uninsured, these two government programs have significantly reduced the number of uninsured children. The number of uninsured children in America has decreased by nearly 2 million since 1998, while the number of uninsured parents has increased by 1 million in the same time span.

Part of the reason that so many children are being left uninsured is because many parents are unaware of the programs or unable to apply for them, according to the foundation releasing this report.

The study also noted that uninsured children are less likely to receive all of their needed medical care and that the problem exists in nearly every state. The five states with the highest levels of uninsured children not receiving any care included Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

As might be expected, uninsured children often do not have a personal doctor or nurse who can provide continuity of medical care. Conversely, almost 9 out of 10 insured children have an individual whom they are able to identify as their regular doctor or nurse.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation currently is sponsoring "Covering Kids and Families," its sixth annual back-to-school campaign aimed to get more children enrolled in health insurance. Parents of uninsured children can call toll-free at (877) KIDS-NOW to find out if their children are eligible for low-cost or free health care coverage.