Agenda - 03-09-1999 - III-B - Laserfiche WebLink

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• • • 26 CHILD HEALTH ► Indicator 9: Percent of Children Unin- sured As Medicaid programs have expanded nationwide, the percentage of children with no health insurance has declined slightly. Still, in North Carolina and the United States in 1990- 92, more than one child in 10 had no health insurance. Data from the 1995 North Carolina Health Profile telephone survey show that only 7.2 percent of children under age 18 were without health insurance during the past year — 4.7 per- cent of white children and 13.5 percent of mi- nority children. Since households without m m m c c m to c m a telephones were not included, the true percent -. ages are probably higher. Lack of health insurance may be the most im= portant barrier to health care. Although insur- ance does not assure access to care, it has been documented that children who have health cov- erage through private means or through Med- icaid see a physician more frequently than children without the coverage." In addition to uninsurance, underinsurance may result in limited access to health care — because preventive or acute can is not covered or it is covered only with significant copayments s Percent Difference in Health Insurance Coverage of Children Under 18 North Carolina, 1990 -92 compared to 1988 -90 50 - 42.2 40 30 20 10 0 -10- -7.9 -20 Employer' .Medicaid -7.9 Other Uninsured' Insurance Insurer •Includes ehlaron covered as depe AWft an the empb)w group Insurance of another fw* number. Note. Data are from the uS. Current Populadon sunny, as eompled by The urban Institute7 see e3Plsnabon of the estimates on paps S. Access to Health Care in North Carolina 105