State sees spike in uninsured children
Kansas had the highest percentage increase in the nation between 2022 and 2024 in the number of children under 6 years old who don’t have health insurance, according to a study released this month by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. It also had the second-largest increase in the rate of uninsured children under 6.
Kansas saw an 87.4% increase in the total number of children under 6 who don’t have health insurance: from 7,900 in 2022 to 14,700 in 2024. Nationally, the average increase was 23%.
The percentage of children in Kansas under 6 without health insurance was 7.2% in 2024, a 3.5-percentage-point increase from 2022. Only North Dakota had a higher rate increase (4.5 points).
Kansas’ 7.2% uninsured rate was the ninth highest in the nation, according to the report. The national average was 5.3%.
The study said increases in uninsured children were “likely due at least in part to the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous coverage protection that had been in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
