U.S. healthcare is a flawed, market-based system, promoting health inequality, and resulting in the world’s richest nation being unable to provide adequate healthcare to all of its citizens. Disparity exists within major cities and between states, especially in relation to children. A new study has revealed the states with the most and least insured children.
The research, conducted by Pediatric Health experts Fore Genomics, examined health insurance data taken from the 2023 ACS. The national uninsured children rate was found to be 5.8 percent between 2022-2023.
Top 10 states with the most uninsured children
| State | % Uninsured Under 6 years | % Uninsured 6 to 18 years | % Uninsured Under18 years | Under 18 Uninsured Rank |
| Texas | 8.90% | 13.00% | 11.9% | 1 |
| Arizona | 7.10% | 9.20% | 8.6% | 2 |
| Nevada | 6.60% | 8.50% | 7.9% | 3 |
| Florida | 6.20% | 8.10% | 7.5% | 4 |
| Oklahoma | 6.00% | 8.10% | 7.5% | 5 |
| Wyoming | 8.60% | 6.70% | 7.2% | 6 |
| South Dakota | 7.60% | 6.80% | 7.0% | 7 |
| Alaska | 5.50% | 7.50% | 6.9% | 8 |
| Montana | 6.50% | 6.90% | 6.8% | 9 |
| Arkansas | 5.30% | 7.30% | 6.7% | 10 |
The percentage of the under-six population, the six to 18 years population, and the combined under-18 years population in the uninsured category were found and ranked to reveal the states with the most and fewest insured children.
Republican dominated Texas was found to have the highest percentage of uninsured children, with 11.9 percent of under 18s in this state uninsured. In this state, 8.9 percent of under-six-year-olds are uninsured, and 13 percent of children aged six to 18 are uninsured.
Arizona has is the state with the second highest percentage of uninsured children. 8.6 percent of under 18s in this state are uninsured. 9.2 percent of children aged between six and 18 and 7.1 percent of children under six are uninsured in Arizona.
In third place is Nevada, where 7.9 percent of children under 18 are uninsured. 6.6 percent of under-six’s are uninsured in Nevada, as well as 8.5 percent of children aged between six and 18.
Ranking fourth is Florida, where 7.5 percent of under 18s are uninsured. 6.2 percent of under-six-year-olds are uninsured in Florida, along with 8.1 percent of those aged six to 18.
Next up is Oklahoma, where, like Florida, 7.5 percent of children aged under 18 are uninsured. Also, like Florida, 8.1 percent of children aged six to 18 are uninsured, but a slightly lower percentage of under sixes are uninsured, six percent.
The state with the sixth highest rate of uninsured children is Wyoming, which recorded 7.2 percent of under 18s as uninsured. In seventh place is South Dakota. In this state, 7 percent of children (aged under 18) are uninsured.
In eighth place is Alaska, where 6.9 percent of under 18s are uninsured. Number nine in this list is Montana, with 6.8 percent of children aged under 18 uninsured. Finally, rounding off the top ten is Arkansas, where 6.7 percent of under 18s are uninsured.
Conversely, the state with the lowest percentage of uninsured children is Massachusetts, where just 1.5 percent of children aged under 18 are uninsured. In this state, 1.2 percent of children aged under six are uninsured, compared to 1.6 percent of children aged between six and 18.
Health campaigners may be able to use such studies to raise greater awareness of insurance trends and discussions on how to bridge the gap and ensure that all children, regardless of where they live, have access to essential healthcare services.
