Children’s Healthcare What States Are Best or Worse

Have you ever sat down and thought how much it costs to raise a child? The cost of raising kids today will end up costing $230,000, which may be way 73 percent of parents say finances play a role in becoming a parent. Healthcare costs are a major portion of that amount.

in large part to Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), 95 percent of all children in America have health coverage, 1 in 19 children were uninsured in 2017—more than 3.9 million.

In order to determine which states offer the most cost-effective and highest-quality health care for children, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 33 key metrics. The data set ranges from share of children aged 0 to 17 in excellent or very good health to pediatricians and family doctors per capita.

• Massachusetts has the lowest share of uninsured children aged 0 to 19, 1.40 percent, which is 7.9 times lower than in Texas, the highest at 11.00 percent.
• Hawaii has the lowest share of children aged 0 to 17 with unaffordable medical bills, 3.10 percent, which is 6.2 times lower than in Wyoming, the highest at 19.10 percent.
• The District of Columbia has the most pediatricians per 100,000 residents, 44.62, which is 24.8 times more than in Oklahoma, the fewest at 1.80.
• Minnesota has the lowest share of obese children aged 10 to 17, 7.60 percent, which is 3.4 times lower than in Mississippi, the highest at 26.00 percent.

Expert Commentary

Is there evidence that children’s hospitals produce better health outcomes for children?

“The Obamacare does mandate that all Americans, including children, have medical insurance,” said J. Paul Leigh, PhD, CHPR Core Faculty & Professor of Health Economics, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis. “Moreover, even without Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, poor children all over the country are covered up to 200% of the federal poverty line as a result of SCHIP.

What are the most important steps parents can take to help their children grow up healthy?

“During the earliest years of a child’s life, 700-1,000 new neural connections form every second,” said Cindy Cisneros, Vice President of Education Programs at the Committee for Economic Development. “These connections are influenced by genes and experiences.”

“If children are provided a stimulating and supportive learning environment as part of child care or pre-K education programs, they have a greater chance of starting school ready to succeed. Parents can explore and learn about the impact of early childhood education experiences beginning at birth through pre-school age. This is a time in which the brain is built rapidly, laying the foundation for social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Understanding that this is a critical period in a child’s development is a great first step.

When kids start school ready to learn, they are shown to have more positive health and academic outcomes. A follow up to the Chicago Longitudinal Study determined that children who had access to early education were more likely to stay in school and attend college; have health insurance coverage; lower rates of incarceration and depressive symptoms; higher rates of full-time employment; and, lower rates of disability. This is especially important for the growing proportion of American children living in poverty. Only a fraction of these children accesses such services.”

For the full report and to see where your state or the District ranks, please visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-for-child-health/34455/

Courtesy: WalletHub