Public Insurance Drove Overall Coverage Growth Among Children in 2012

Using data from the American Community Survey, this brief examines the rates of health insurance coverage among children under 18 in the United States by region and by rural, suburban, and central city residence between 2008 and 2012. Author Michael Staley reports that, between 2011 and 2012, overall rates of health insurance coverage among children increased slightly (0.3 percentage point); 92.8 percent of the nation’s children had health insurance in 2012. Rates of public health insurance coverage for children grew from 28.3 percent in 2008 to 38.1 percent in 2012, whereas rates of private health insurance coverage for children decreased from 64.1 percent in 2008 to 58.3 percent in 2012. Since 2008, rates of public health insurance among children have increased the most (more than 10 percentage points) in the South, the West, and central cities throughout the United States, which has resulted in narrowing the gap among regions and place types