NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

December 23, 1999

More N.D. Children Covered by Health Insurance

The percentage of North Dakota children younger than 18 who were not covered by health insurance went down in 1998, compared to 1997, when 17.1 percent had no coverage. In 1998, the rate dropped to 16.4 percent, according to the recent Economic Brief released by the North Dakota State Data Center at North Dakota State University. Nationally, 15.4 percent of children younger than 18 were without health insurance in 1998.

"The high proportion of uninsured youth in our state is disturbing," says Richard Rathge, data center director. "With the high cost of medical care, even a modest medical problem for a child may mean a severe financial crisis for the family. In addition, the lack of insurance may prevent parents from seeking medical assistance for their child until the situation is extreme. This situation is not healthy for children and more expensive for all concerned."

In 1988, 9.7 percent of the state's children younger than 18 did not have health insurance. This proportion rose to 11.9 percent in 1993 and then jumped to 17.1 percent in 1997. Rathge says the steep rise between 1996 and 1997 in uninsured youth is partly due to a definition change. Native Americans who have access only to Indian Health Services are no longer viewed as insured. A sizeable portion of Native Americans are affected by this definition change, which caused North Dakota's rate to nearly double in 1997.

Nearly 86 percent of North Dakota's population was covered by some type of health insurance in 1998, down from slightly less than 91 percent in 1988. Nationwide, a smaller drop in the percentage of those covered occurred during the period--from 86.6 percent in 1988 down to 83.7 percent in 1998.

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Source: Richard Rathge (701) 231-8621
Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136

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