Protecting Children During the Recession: Spotlight on State Health Coverage Efforts

The beginning of the recession, from December 2007 through December 2008, led to an increase in the overall number of uninsured. Despite a 1.5 million increase in the number of uninsured adults, however, the number of uninsured children declined by 800,000 during this time period. States have played a key role in this progress for children by maintaining and expanding children’s coverage. This issue brief highlights seven states (Alabama, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Vermont) that were selected because they use a range of approaches to protect children’s coverage. In these seven states alone, 500,000 children gained coverage in 2008, representing nearly two-thirds of the national decline in uninsured children.

Issue Brief (.pdf)