skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Numbers Soar for Texas Kids Without Health Insurance

play audio
Play

Tuesday, October 13, 2020   

AUSTIN, Texas -- Advocates for children are calling on Texas lawmakers to take action in the next legislative session, after a new report shows the state has the highest number of children in the nation without health insurance.

Texas had an estimated 995,000 uninsured children in 2019, an increase of 243,000 from three years earlier. Data in the annual report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families was collected in 2019, during a relatively strong economic period.

Patrick Bresette, executive director at the Children's Defense Fund-Texas, said he was startled by the dramatic increase - especially because the data was collected pre-pandemic.

"The fact that more than a third of the national loss of children losing insurance occurred in this state, and the next highest state is a fraction of ours, should be a wake-up call for every policy maker and advocate in the state," Bresette said.

He said there are simple things Texas could be do to improve the situation - from expanding Medicaid to streamlining burdensome paperwork that makes it difficult for families to access resources that could help them.

Texas' rate of uninsured children was 12.7% in 2019 - more than double the national average of 5.7%.

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center, noted there was a sharp increase in the number of uninsured children of color, likely because immigration policies implemented by the Trump administration have initiated a climate of fear.

"Having health insurance is critical for long-term benefits," Alker said. "We know that kids who have health insurance are more likely to graduate from high school, attend college and be healthier, more productive adults."

The report also mentions the administration's efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act, including eliminating funding for outreach and "navigators" to help people enroll, along with additional red tape that makes it harder for families to access Medicaid or CHIP.

Disclosure: Georgetown University Center for Children & Families contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021