gethealthy

 I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” The time period in which that saying was coined, a group of people usually would embrace the children as a community and contribute to their upbringing. However, even though our communities have grown much larger, that same saying can still hold true.  Parents, for the most part, are completely responsible for their children.  However, children also receive care from their teachers, grandparents as well as other relatives, and others within their community.

Most parents understand the basics of childcare such as; making sure they get enough sleep, exercise, and healthy food.  However, children still need to visit a doctor regularly throughout their developing years.  They need regular check-ups and immunizations to prevent and watch for any trouble on the horizon.

However, millions of children in the United States are without the medical care that they need; including  vaccinations and prescription medications because the parents can’t afford the high price of insuring them.

A new study examined data from 2002 to 2005 from the HHS’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Equality (AHRQ) Medical Expenditure Panel Survey on 39,588 children under the age of 19 that lived with one of their parents.   The study concluded that eventhough one of their parents carried health insurance on themselves, 3.3% of children were uninsured or underinsured at some point in any given year.  This equals 2.3 million children per year that go without health insurance to pay for preventative care or any other medical needs.

Children from middle-income families with one insured parent were 48% more likelyof being uninsured during the year and 56% greater chance of being insured for at least 6 months out of the year.