From 2013 to 2014, the number of uninsured children did not significantly rise in any state — in fact, the percentage of uninsured children dropped in 23 states, according to HealthDay News.
The findings are from a recent Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report.
In 2013, approximately 7.5 percent of kids nationwide — 5.9 million — were uninsured. In 2014, around 6.3 percent of kids — 4.9 million — were uninsured.
Many contribute this 16 percent decrease to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. "It's likely the case that more children gained coverage as eligible parents signed up for free or low-cost health insurance, and we're likely to see that trend continue," said Lynn Blewett, PhD, director of the University of Minnesota's State Health Access Data Assistance Center, which put together the report.
The largest decreases in uninsured kids were in five states: Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada and Rhode Island.
However, the childhood uninsured problem hasn't been solved. The largest number of uninsured kids are in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, New York and Texas.