Number of Uninsured Children Overall Declining, But Middle Class Kids Increasingly Uninsured

Access to quality, affordable health care supports children growing into healthy adults, and more Texan kids seem to have coverage, thanks to public programs like CHIP and Children's Medicaid. Policy changes in 2007 and 2009 that made it easier for eligible families to access the programs that their children qualify for led to a drop in the rate of children without insurance in 2009, according to U.S. Census Data released this week. Although it is within the standard error, Texas also may no longer rank last in the country for children’s health coverage with these significant gains.

Fewer children had access to private coverage, however, as health insurance premiums climbed and more parents lost their jobs and health care benefits. The rate of uninsured children among families who are not low-income, but rather deemed middle-class, is up sharply, more than 20%, according to the Center for Public Policy Priorities.