About 11% of children in California were uninsured in 2011, a higher rate than the national average, according to a study conducted by the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The California HealthCare Foundation released the study. CHCF publishes California Healthline.
The study examined children's health insurance trends over a 10-year period.
Main Findings
According to the study, about 1.1 million California children did not have health insurance in 2011. It also found that uninsured children were less likely to seek medical care than insured children (Gorman, Los Angeles Times, 11/14).
Additional findings included:
- Public coverage through Medi-Cal -- California's Medicaid program -- and Healthy Families -- California's Children's Health Insurance Program -- expanded by 46% from 2002 to 2011;
- Employer-based coverage for California children declined by 16% from 2002 to 2011; and
- About two-thirds of uninsured California children were Latino.
According to the study, more than 75% of uninsured California children were eligible for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families (
CHCF release, 11/13).