11.2% of Texas kids were uninsured in 2018.
All Texans should have access to affordable, high-quality health care. Ensuring that our children can access health care is particularly essential, because early diagnosis can be the difference between a lifetime disability, or a child reaching their highest possible potential.
Children in every race and ethnic category in Texas are dramatically more likely to be uninsured than U.S children overall. But Hispanic children in Texas are far more likely to lack the coverage that can provide a health care home. This puts Texas Hispanic children at a greater risk of missed diagnoses and developmental delays.
2018 Uninsured Rates by Race/Ethnicity — Texas Children
Texas has the worst rate of uninsured children (11.2 percent of Texas kids uninsured in 2018) in the country–more than twice the national rate of 5.5%! After a decade of improving health coverage Texas kids have had two years. Additionally, there has been a steady decline of children enrolled in the Texas Medicaid program and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) since 2017.
Key contributing factors:
Director, Health & Food Justice
Senior Policy Analyst, Health & Food Justice
