HHS
Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today released a new report showing that the
percent of American children with health insurance continued to increase
in the first half of 2002, meaning that a half million more children are
now covered by insurance than in the previous year. The improvement
comes as more children rely on public coverage for their health care,
including the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) created
in 1997.
“More
and more children are getting the health care they need, thanks in large
measure to our success in working with States to expand health coverage
through the SCHIP program,” Secretary Thompson said. “We are
giving governors the flexibility they need to continue to expand coverage
to more children, and our strategy is paying off for children and parents
alike.”
The
new report comes from HHS’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), which conducts an annual survey tracking health insurance and other
health indicators for Americans.
The
report shows that the percent of children (17 and under) without health
insurance declined from 13.9 percent in 1997 to 9.8 percent in the first
half of 2002. During this period, reliance on public programs for
coverage was fairly constant between 1997 and 2000 at about 21 percent,
but then rose to 23.4 percent in 2001 and jumped to 27.2 percent in
2002. As public coverage rose, the percent of children covered by
private plans dropped from 67.1 percent to 64.5 percent from 2002 to 2001.
SCHIP
is designed to help children without health insurance, many of whom come
from working families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but
too low to afford private health insurance. There were 4.6 million
children enrolled in SCHIP at some point during fiscal year 2001, the most
recent year for which complete State data is available.
Overall,
14.2 percent of the population – 39.4 million Americans of all ages –
were without health insurance coverage in the first half of 2002, about the
same as in 2001, and down from 15.4 percent in 1997. Working-age
adults were more likely than seniors or children to lack health insurance
coverage, with 18.5 percent of those aged 18-64 without coverage. In
early 2002, about one in three (30.6 percent) Hispanics lacked health
insurance, a far greater percent than the non-Hispanic black population
(16.4 percent) and non-Hispanic whites at 10.5 percent.
Lack
of health insurance coverage is one of the health indicators covered by
the quarterly early release of selected estimates from the National Health
Interview Survey (NHIS), a household interview survey conducted annually
by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Findings for January - June 2002 should be considered preliminary.
Other
indicators include influenza vaccination, pneumococcal vaccination,
obesity, leisure-time physical activity, health status, smoking, excessive
alcohol consumption, HIV testing, having a usual source of medical care,
failing to obtain needed medical care, and needing help with personal
care.
The
2002 survey shows that over two-thirds of America’s seniors had received
a flu shot in the past 12 months. Based on an examination of second
quarter data, influenza vaccinations in 2002 increased over the same
quarter in 2001 to reach the level achieved before delays in vaccine were
experienced.
“Vaccinations
are one of the most effective means of preventing disease,” CDC Director
Dr. Julie L. Gerberding said. “We need to keep getting out the
message that this is one of the best and easiest steps we can take to
protect our health.”
Other
highlights from the January - June 2002 data include:
Some
22 percent of adults were current cigarette smokers, indicating a
continued decline in smoking. More men (24.7 percent) than women
(19.6 percent) are current smokers
The
percent of persons of all ages who have a usual place to go for medical
care rose slightly from 1999 through 2001, but remained constant in early
2002. About 94 percent of children had a usual source of care; and
young adults, ages 18-24, at 72 percent, were least likely to have a usual
source of care in early 2002.
In
2002, 4.5 percent of the population were unable to obtain needed medical
care in the past year due to financial barriers.
In
early 2002, 6 percent of persons aged 65 and over relied on others for
their personal care. Hispanic and non-Hispanic black elderly were
more likely than non-Hispanic white elderly to have this need.