After nearly a decade of reducing the number of uninsured children, Louisiana showed little progress in expanding health coverage in the past year, according to a report released today by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.
The state’s rate of uninsured children was 3.1% in 2017, below the national average of 5% and 12th best among states, the analysis of U.S. Census data shows.
An estimated 36,000 children 18 and younger remain uninsured in 2018, a drop of 3,000 children from the past year but not a statistically significant change.
“We’re headed in the right direction, but we can’t afford to slow down,” Susan Nelson, executive director of the Louisiana Partnership for Children and Families said in an announcement today.
Nationwide, the report found, more than 276,000 children last year joined the ranks of the uninsured, the first significant increase in nearly a decade.
