More than One out of Every 13 Children in Indiana Is Unisured, and the Total May Grow

7.9 percent of Indiana’s Children Are Uninsured

Washington, D.C.—There are 131,000 uninsured children in Indiana—more than one out of 13 children in the state (7.9 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: Indiana’s Uninsured Children,” spotlights the following facts about uninsured children in the state:

• 131,000 children are uninsured in Indiana—more than one of out 13, or 7.9 percent of Indiana’s children.

• Indiana’s uninsured children come from working families. In Indiana, the vast majority of uninsured children (95.3 percent) come from families where at least one parent works, and approximately two-thirds of uninsured children—or 67.1 percent—live in households where at least one family member works full-time, year-round.

• Nearly half, or 48.2 percent, of Indiana’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 are likely eligible for Hoosier Healthwise.

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 Indiana 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 Indiana is part of Hoosier Healthwise, which also includes children’s Medicaid. In 2007, more than 130,300 children in Indiana received their health coverage through the CHIP portion of Hoosier Healthwise.

“For the numerous children in Indiana who count on Hoosier Healthwise as their health lifeline and for the 131,000 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