Pennsylvania is one of just three states in which the percentage of uninsured kids increased in 2022, according to a recently released report from the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.
At first glance, the numbers don’t appear too striking — it was a bump of 4.4% in 2021 to 5.2% in 2022. Still, that accounts for some 19,000 additional kids across Pennsylvania who don’t have health insurance. In total, the report finds there are more than 145,000 uninsured children in the state, including nearly 6,000 in Allegheny County.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why this increase occurred, said Becky Ludwick, vice president of public policy for Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.
“It took us off guard, to be quite honest,” said Ludwick. “We did see that the private insurance for children did decrease. So that could potentially provide part of the explanation or be a factor.”
When kids and families are uninsured, serious medical and developmental issues can go unnoticed or untreated. Pediatricians often identify signs of potential issues and then connect families to interventions such as vision care, food assistance or physical therapy.
“You can imagine that if that doesn't happen, that it really can have long term negative impacts both on educational and health outcomes,” said Marian Jarlenski of the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health.
Studies have also found that uninsured kids have higher mortality rates and are at higher risk for preventable hospitalizations.
It’s possible the number of uninsured kids in Pennsylvania will be even higher in next year's report. For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic people must re-enroll in Medicaid — an insurance program for low-income people that’s jointly funded by the state and federal government.
In general, making it easier to enroll in Medicaid might improve the uninsurance rate, said Ludwick. Some 5% of kids in Allegheny County who could be enrolled in Medicaid are uninsured; statewide it's 7%.
One policy solution Pennsylvania is currently considering is to allow kids to have continuous Medicaid coverage from birth through the last day of the month in which they turn 6 years of age. Public comment on the proposal closes on Jan. 2.
