11% of children in California are uninsured, study says
Children in California are more likely to be uninsured than children nationwide, with 1.1 million lacking health coverage in 2011, according to a new study by the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
About 11% of children lacked insurance last year -- and they were less likely to seek medical care than those with coverage, the authors reported.
The study, released Wednesday by the California HealthCare Foundation, detailed children's insurance trends over a 10-year period. During that time, the percentage of children covered by their parents' employers dropped while the percentage of children in public programs increased. In 2011, 56% of the state's children had private coverage and 38% had public insurance. Some children were covered by both types of programs.
The authors noted, however, that enrollment in the state's main public insurance program for children has stalled