One out of Every 12 Children in North Dakota Is Uninsured, and the Number May Grow

8.9 percent of North Dakota’s Children Are Uninsured

Washington, D.C.—There are 14,000 uninsured children in North Dakota—more than one out of 12 children in the state (8.9 percent)—according to a new report released today by Families USA, the national organization for health care consumers.

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: North Dakota’s Uninsured Children,” spotlights the following facts about uninsured children in the state:

• 14,000 children are uninsured in North Dakota—more than one of out 12, or 8.9 percent of North Dakota’s children. 
   
• North Dakota’s uninsured children come from working families. In North Dakota, the vast majority of uninsured children (94.1 percent) come from families where at least one parent works, and nearly three-quarters of uninsured children—or 72.3 percent—live in households where at least one family member works full-time, year-round. 
   
• Approximately two-thirds, or 66.9 percent, of North Dakota’s uninsured children come from low-income families (families with incomes below twice the poverty level, or $35,200 for a family of three in 2008) who may be eligible for Medicaid or Healthy Steps.

Last year, the Congress voted to reauthorize the State 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 North Dakota 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.  

The CHIP program in North Dakota is called the Healthy Steps. In 2007, more than 5,400 children in North Dakota received their health coverage through Healthy Steps.

“For the numerous children in North Dakota who count on Health Steps as their health lifeline and for the 14,000 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