Progress Insuring NY Children Now Threatened

From Public News Service:

Andrea Sears, Public News Service - NY

October 9, 2020

ALBANY, N.Y. - A new study shows New York was the only state to see a significant decline in its number of uninsured children since 2016 - but that progress is in jeopardy.

Most states saw either more children without health insurance or no change in the percentage of kids covered. But the report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families shows from 2016 to 2019, the number of uninsured New York children fell by almost 11%.

Kate Breslin, president and CEO of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, credited state government and policymakers for the progress.

"Our state's leadership, at all levels, has prioritized health and coverage for children, no matter where their families come from," said Breslin.

But advocates for children's health fear the economic recession caused by the COVID pandemic will drive the number of uninsured children up, nationwide and in New York.

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, noted that bipartisan efforts on the national level had led to several years of progress in reducing the rate of uninsured children across the country.

"What we see now is, that trend has clearly turned around since President Trump took office," said Alker. "And we're going backwards at an accelerating rate."

She added that the largest increase in uninsured children was between 2018 and 2019, when the national economy was relatively strong.

And Breslin pointed out that next month, the Trump administration and 18 Republican state attorneys general will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.

"It would be a big loss for our communities if the Affordable Care Act went away," said Breslin. "And we would likely see an increase in uninsured across the board."

Studies have estimated that eliminating the Affordable Care Act would mean about 20 million Americans would lose their health insurance.

Disclosure: Georgetown University Center for Children & Families contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.

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