More U.S. Kids Getting Government Dental Insurance

AHRQ News and Numbers

Release date: September 24, 2008

About 30 percent of U.S. children and adolescents were covered by government-sponsored dental insurance in 2006, a significant increase from the 18 percent covered in 1996, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Private dental insurance enrollment remained relatively unchanged during the period.

Much of the increase resulted from the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which began in 1997, and extensions of Medicaid coverage for dental services.

AHRQ's analysis also found that between 1996 and 2006:

• Enrollment in government dental insurance rose sharply among Hispanic and black adolescents and children, 48 percent and 35 percent respectively.
• White children and adolescents were less likely than blacks and Hispanics to have public dental insurance, but their enrollment doubled, climbing from 10 percent to 20 percent.
• Largely due to expanded government coverage, only 19 percent of U.S. children had no dental insurance in 2006 compared with 29 percent in 1996.

AHRQ, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, works to enhance the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care in the United States. The data in this AHRQ News and Numbers summary are taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a detailed source of information on the health services used by Americans, the frequency with which they are used, the cost of those services, and how they are paid. For more information, go to Dental Coverage of Children and Young Adults under Age 21, United States, 1996 and 2006.

For information, or to speak with an AHRQ data expert, please contact Bob Isquith at Bob.Isquith@ahrq.hhs.gov or call (301) 427-1539.

Current as of September 2008

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Internet Citation:

More U.S. Kids Getting Government Dental Insurance. AHRQ News and Numbers, September 24, 2008. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/nn/nn092408.htm

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