The number of children without out health insurance in the U.S. increased by more than 400,000 between 2016 and 2018. A new report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families finds that over that time period the rate of uninsured children nationwide increased from 4.7% to 5.2%, reversing what had been a long-standing positive trend in the rates of uninsured kids. Florida is among states experiencing the sharpest increases in the number of uninsured children.
The report cites a number of examples of what is responsible for eroding children’s healthcare coverage including actions and inactions of the Trump administration, delays in funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program and a culture of fear among immigrant families. We will take a closer look at the report’s findings with Executive Director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families and research professor with the McCourt School of Public Policy Joan Alker.