Uninsured Children Research Paper

Do Children Living below the Poverty Level have adequate Health Insurance?

Abstract This paper goes over children living in poverty and whether they have access to adequate health insurance. The paper compiles statistics on uninsured children; researches the Medicaid laws that congress has passed and covers the effects that lack of health insurance has on children.

Over 40 million people are living below the poverty line, and many children are living without any health coverage. The unemployment level in our country has nearly doubled since 2007, and children can be some of the hardest hit it our economy. Children deserve more from our country. Our nation is trying to figure out how…show more content…
Uninsured children are 10 times more likely than insured children to have unmet medical needs, such as untreated asthma, diabetes or obesity, and are 5 times as likely as an insured child to go more than two years without seeing a doctor, according to Uninsured Children: The Children’s Defense Fund,2012. Children without adequate health insurance are also more likely to die from diseases or illnesses. Children living in a poverty filled home may have health issues that come from such things as no running water, lack of food, lack of heat, or an infestation of bugs. These poor living conditions can really cause a child to fall ill, but when they don’t have the means to receive healthcare, they can become seriously ill. Health can influence everything from a child’s ability to learn to a child’s overall wellbeing (Wolf, 1999). When a parent does not have health insurance for their child, they tend to wait longer to take that child in for care. Having to make the decision to pay for the care themselves, or pay the utilities or rent or to buy food for the family, makes many parents hesitant to quickly have an ill child examined. Many are forced to wait until the child’s condition is serious enough to warrant the extra money the parent must pay for getting help for their sick child. According to Rabin,2009, “If you take two…show more content…
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