More uninsured kids in York County than last year, report shows [York Daily Record, Pa.]
By Angie Mason, York Daily Record, Pa. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Early health care can help address issues to better prepare kids for school, advocates say, yet the number of young children without insurance has increased in recent years, both in
Close to 400 York County children, from babies to age 4, were without health insurance in 2010, an increase of about 100 from the previous year, according to Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children's annual School Readiness report.
That's about 1.5 percent of the county's children, lower than the state's 5.2 percent, the report says.
It's a relatively small number, but because
The school readiness report looks at data on topics such as poverty, health care and early intervention services to see how well
Between private insurance, the state
"Obviously there's more that needs to be done ... to make families aware of their options for getting their children insured," he said.
A CHIP requirement that a child be uninsured for six months before becoming eligible also poses a barrier, she said. Families tend to seek CHIP right away if they lose health insurance, she said, but during the wait can move on or forget until it becomes urgent.
All
Health and education
Good preventative medical care can identify issues, both physical and behavioral, that can help put a child on the path to academic success, Race said. It can also save money later through reduced special education or remediation costs, he said.
"The more we do up front to give kids a solid foundation ... the more money we all save later on as they go through school," he said.
Englerth said it's important for young children to see doctors regularly because doctors can pick up on early learning challenges, such as speech or motor skills not progressing on track.
"Those challenges can be addressed well before they get into the classroom," she said.
Well-child checkups are about more than just getting immunizations, she said.
"We're really assessing early learning and development so we can support that child becoming the best learner they can possibly be and (being) ready for school when it's time to go," she said.
Children's insurance options
CHIP,
Information on
Learn more about health care coverage programs in
By the numbers
Here's a look at some
Children, birth to age 4, without health insurance:
297 in 2009
392 in 2010
Children funded by public health insurance:
12,562 in
11,344 in
Spaces available in high-quality child care:
476 in 2011
528 in 2012
Children, age 3 and 4, in publicly funded pre-kindergarten:
922, or 8.5 percent, in 2010-11
920, or 8.5 percent, in 2011-12
See more county data, as well as state data, at www.papartnerships.org.
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