Although
over 90 percent of children have health insurance, some experience
periods of time when they are not covered over the course of a year.
Overall, 15.0 percent of children experienced a gap in their coverage
at some point over the past year (including those who were uninsured
at the time of the survey). The percent of children experiencing
a gap in health insurance coverage at some time during the year
varies little by location: 14.9 percent of children in urban areas
experience inconsistent insurance coverage, as do 14.6 percent of
children in large rural areas and 15.6 percent of children in small
rural areas.
In general, gaps in health insurance
coverage are more likely to occur
among children with lower family
incomes and children who are Hispanic
or American Indian/Alaska Native.
With regard to income, children with
lower family incomes are most likely to
experience gaps in coverage in urban
areas, while children with higher family
incomes are most likely to experience
such gaps in small rural areas. For
instance, the rates among children
with family incomes below the Federal
poverty level (FPL) are 26.6 percent
in urban areas and 18.8 percent in
small rural areas; conversely, the rates
among children with family incomes
of 400 percent of FPL and above are
7.2 percent in small rural areas and
4.8 percent in urban areas.
Hispanic children, who experience the highest rate
of coverage gaps of any racial or ethnic group, are least likely
to experience such gaps in large rural areas (25.8 percent) and
most likely in small rural areas (31.1 percent). American Indian/Alaska
Native children, who experience high rates of coverage inconsistency,
are also most likely to experience gaps in coverage in rural areas
(25.2 percent). White children have some of the lowest rates of
coverage inconsistency and, as with Hispanic and American Indian/
Alaska Native children, their highest rate occurs in small rural
areas (13.9 percent). Black children are the only racial or ethnic
group whose highest rate of inconsistent coverage occurs in urban
areas (16.4 percent).
|