"More than four million U.S. children under age 19 lacked health insurance in 2024. The uninsured rate peaked at 6.1 percentthe highest level in the past decade, according to a recent analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, a health policy research organization. That marks a nearly 20 percent increase in the number of uninsured children nationwide since 2022."
"The spike in the number of uninsured children is a direct upshot of Americans' fragmented health care system. This patchwork of public insurance, private insurance and other employer plans creates a shaky environment for families whose income or job status changes, says Derek Brown, a health economist and a professor at Washington University in St. Louis. These life shifts may force parents to repeatedly lose and re-enroll in insurance, threatening the health of their children."
More than four million U.S. children under 19 lacked health insurance in 2024, with an uninsured rate peaking at 6.1 percent, the highest in a decade and nearly a 20 percent increase since 2022. Lack of insurance produces gaps in medical care that can delay routine visits and critical diagnoses. Delayed cancer diagnosis can allow cancers to become more advanced and worsen prognosis. The rise in uninsured children stems from a fragmented U.S. health system of public, private, and employer plans that leaves families vulnerable to coverage loss when income or job status changes. Many uninsured children remain eligible for Medicaid or CHIP but are not enrolled.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]