Number of Uninsured Children in New Mexico Continues to Climb

With More than One out of Six Children Uninsured in the State, New Mexico Has the Third Highest Percentage of Uninsured Children in the Nation

Washington, D.C.—There are 93,000 uninsured children in New Mexico—more than one out of six children in the state (17.6 percent)—according to a new report released today by Families USA, the national organization for health care consumers.

The report, based on new Census Bureau data, shows that the number of uninsured children continues to grow in the state. The most recent data are for the three-year period 2005-2007 and therefore do not reflect the worsening economic situation in 2008.

The Families USA report, titled "Left Behind: New Mexico’s Uninsured Children," spotlights the following facts about uninsured children in the state:

• 93,000 children are uninsured in New Mexico—more than one of out six, or 17.6 percent of New Mexico’s children. These numbers place New Mexico third nationally for the percentage of children in the state without health insurance.

• The number of uninsured children in New Mexico increased by more than 5,500 (6.3 percent) between the three-year period 2003-2005 and the three-year period 2005-2007, and is likely to continue to grow due to the financial crisis.

• New Mexico’s uninsured children come from working families. In New Mexico, the vast majority of uninsured children (85.9 percent) come from families where at least one parent works, and nearly three-quarters of uninsured children—or 72.8 percent—live in households where at least one family member works full-time, year-round.

• Nearly two-thirds of New Mexico’s uninsured children, or 64.6 percent, come from low-income families (families with incomes below twice the poverty level, or $35,200 for a family of three in 2008) who are likely eligible for Medicare or New Mexikids.

Last year, the Congress voted to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which would have expanded health coverage throughout the nation to approximately 4 million uninsured children. Although Congress passed the legislation with broad bipartisan support, the legislation failed when President Bush vetoed it.

“The children’s health legislation vetoed by the President would have provided much-needed relief to uninsured children in New Mexico and across the nation,” said Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA. “Unfortunately, the minority of congressional members who voted with the President made it impossible to override the veto.”

The CHIP program is now scheduled to expire on March 31, 2009. As a result, the reauthorization of CHIP will be one of the earliest policy issues facing the next Congress and President.  

Children’s Medicaid and CHIP are combined into one program in New Mexico called New Mexikids. In 2007, more than 16,500 children in New Mexico received their health coverage through the CHIP portion of New Mexikids.

“For the numerous children in New Mexico who count on New Mexikids as their health lifeline and for the 93,000 uninsured children in the state, support for continuing and expanding CHIP is critically important,” said Pollack. “It will determine whether children get the preventive care they need so that they can remain healthy, learn in school, and become productive citizens.”

Due to the current economic downturn, Congress is also likely to consider providing higher federal matching funds to the states for the Medicaid program—the other key health safety net program for children from low-income families. Such a measure may be part of the next economic stimulus package debated in Congress, thereby enabling states to retain and expand health coverage as more families become uninsured.

“The provision of increased federal matching funds to the states for Medicaid is of growing importance,” said Pollack. “States need to expand health coverage at a time when their budgets are increasingly precarious, so increased federal help is essential.”

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Families USA is the national organization for health care consumers. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 1100 · Washington, DC 20005
202-628-3030 · Email: info@familiesusa.org · www.familiesusa.org