A new report from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families found that the national uninsured rate for children under age 6 rose to 5.3% in 2024, the highest level in nearly a decade.
The rising number of young children without health insurance is troubling, as children need frequent access to care in their early years. Coverage supports well-child visits, immunizations, developmental screenings, and timely treatment, all of which help children stay healthy and ready to learn.
The CCF report estimates that 48,000 young children in Pennsylvania lack health insurance — about 3,400 more than in 2022. Even though changes in Pennsylvania are not statistically significant, the data still raise serious concerns.
In Pennsylvania, children under age 6 are uninsured at a higher rate than school-age children — 6.0% compared with 5.2%. Higher uninsured rates are typically seen among school-age children, not younger children. Pennsylvania is one of only three states with this pattern. As we shared in our State of Children’s Health Insurance report last fall, more than half of Pennsylvania counties have higher uninsured rates for younger children than for older children.
Pennsylvania’s uninsured rate for young children is now the highest it has been in the past 15 years. To be clear, the CCF report focuses on 2024 data, which was collected well before the passage of H.R. 1 and its new federal program barriers and cuts, which haven’t yet gone into full effect. This should serve as a warning, since we expect more children (and many adults) to lose coverage when that happens starting in 2027. The risks are outlined in PPC’s H.R. 1 maps, which show how deeply communities could be affected.
If there is any bright spot, it’s that nearly all uninsured children in Pennsylvania are eligible for health insurance through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Parents can enroll their children at any time throughout the year. However, work remains to address barriers to enrollment, such as confusing paperwork or fluctuations in household income that can affect eligibility and force families in and out of Medicaid plans. This is also why PPC has long supported the policy of continuous eligibility in Medicaid from birth to age 6 to keep kids connected to health insurance for longer periods.
We have a clear goal of making it easier for each eligible child to get and keep coverage, but there is a lot of work ahead to make that a reality.