After falling for years, the number of uninsured children is rising

Kimberly Adams May 2, 2019
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Members of the uninsured Morales family, with five children, wait to enter to be treated at a free dental clinic put on by volunteers with the California Dental Association Foundation on Oc. 27, 2018, in Modesto, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images

After falling for years, the number of uninsured children is rising

Kimberly Adams May 2, 2019
Members of the uninsured Morales family, with five children, wait to enter to be treated at a free dental clinic put on by volunteers with the California Dental Association Foundation on Oc. 27, 2018, in Modesto, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
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The percentage of uninsured children in the U.S. has been in decline for years. But a new study by the University of Minnesota finds that it’s moving upward again. The rate increased across demographic groups, and the study estimates that some 4 million U.S. kids are now uninsured. Declining rates of both Medicaid enrollment and private coverage are driving the increase, and experts say the number of children without health insurance is likely to keep growing. 

Correction (May 3, 2019): An earlier version of this story mischaracterized the decline in children’s insurance enrollment. It has been corrected.

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