Background

Health insurance coverage is one of the most important factors affecting a person's use of health care services. There was an estimated 43.6 million uninsured individuals in the United States in 2002. The estimate of the number of uninsured children varies widely depending on the study. Of the five most important national estimates, the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey produced the highest estimate (14.6% of the population) while the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs produced the lowest estimate (8.3% of all children).

This policy brief draws information about the health insurance coverage of children from the Iowa Child and Family Household Health Survey, a statewide panel study of the health and well-being of children in Iowa families. Data were collected using telephone interviews regarding over 3200 children in Iowa, completed in the spring and summer of 2000. This study was a collaboration between the University of Iowa Public Policy Center (PPC), the Iowa Department of Public Health, the Iowa Child Health Specialty Clinics and the University of Northern Iowa. It was funded by a grant from the US Bureau of Maternal and Child Health and the Iowa Department of Public Health.