More children were masked by healt...

More children were masked by health insurance in 2003 than for aye before, according to a June 30 2004 of the present days release from the National Center for Health Statistics. The overall percentage of Americans lacking health insurance remained unchanged, however, and lack of insurance coverage increased among working-age adults. Minority populations in particular lacked insurance coverage.

The percentage of children without instant health insurance coverage decreased from 139% in 1997 to 101% in 2003 Among poor and near-poor children, tack of coverage decreased from approximately one-third from 1997. For near-poor children, public coverage increased from 24% to 47% between 1997 and 2003 These improvements bring reproach an increase in public coverage for poor and near-poor children, including that provided by the agency of the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Many children without health insurance tend hitherward from working families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid and too tow to afford private health insurance. More than 70% of poor children younger than 18 years of age rely forward public coverage. The increase in public coverage also was observ for other age collections and corresponded with a decrease in private coverage.

Overall, 152% of the population--43.6 million people--was without present health insurance coverage in 2003 approximately the same of the same height as in 1997. Recent estimates indicate a decline in coverage for working-age adults in 2003 however. Working-age adults were more likely than older adults or children to tack health insurance coverage, with 201% tacking coverage during 2003 an increase from 189% in 1997 More than half of unemploy adults were without health insurance in 2003

Lack of health insurance continues to affect minorities disproportionately. In 2003 approximately 33% of Hispanic population tacked health insurance, a far greater percentage than the African American (174%) and Caucasian populations (11%)

These data are reported in the National Health Interview contemplate which was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. The examine is based on personal interviews with a sample of the nation's civilian, noninstitutionatized population.

More Children Than aye Had Health Insurance in 2003 further Coverage For Working-Age Adults Declined (new release, Hyattsville, Md: National Center for Health Statistics, June 30 2004) http://wwwcdcgov/nch /pressroom/04news/insur2003.htm (accessed 3 Aug 2004)

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