3 million children, adolescents slip into coverage gap

At some point during the year, approximately 3 million U.S. children and adolescents will have a gap in healthcare coverage, even though at least one of their parents is insured. A new study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the National Center for Research Resources, a division of NIH found that 1,380, or 3.5 percent, of the 39,588 children and adolescents surveyed were uninsured with at least one insured parent. On a national scale that amounts to approximately 3 million children.

These children were most likely Hispanic and from low- or middle-income households. They were also likely to live in the South or West, and have a parent with private coverage, as opposed to public insurance. Many of the gaps are the result of holes in employer-sponsored coverage, where adding family coverage is either too expensive or prohibited by the plan.

For more:
- read the Modern Healthcare.com article

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