More uninsured kids in York County than last year, report shows [York Daily Record, Pa.]

Nov. 14--YORK, Pa. --

Early health care can help address issues to better prepare kids for school, advocates say, yet the number of young children without insurance has increased in recent years, both in York County and across the state.

Close to 400 York County children, from babies to age 4, were without health insurance in 2010, an increase of about 100 from the previous year, according to Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children's annual School Readiness report.

That's about 1.5 percent of the county's children, lower than the state's 5.2 percent, the report says.

It's a relatively small number, but because Pennsylvania is a "universal coverage state" for children, there's no reason any children should be without health insurance, said Michael Race, spokesman for the nonprofit.

The school readiness report looks at data on topics such as poverty, health care and early intervention services to see how well Pennsylvania's children are being prepared for school. The 2012 report, released Tuesday, showed many efforts have slowed or stalled in recent years.

Pennsylvania lost ground in the area of health care, the report says, both in the number of uninsured young children and the number receiving public health insurance, which decreased.

Between private insurance, the state Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, and Medicaid, all children are eligible for some sort of insurance, Race said, so the number of uninsured children shows an issue with outreach.

"Obviously there's more that needs to be done ... to make families aware of their options for getting their children insured," he said.

Jenny Englerth, chief executive officer at Family First Health, said the organization runs into uninsured children more often than it would expect. Reasons include that some families don't understand that even though parents might not be eligible for some forms of assistance, their children might be.

A CHIP requirement that a child be uninsured for six months before becoming eligible also poses a barrier, she said. Families tend to seek CHIP right away if they lose health insurance, she said, but during the wait can move on or forget until it becomes urgent.

All Family First Health staff members know that no children should be coming to them uninsured, she said, and so they talk to those families about their options.

Health and education

Good preventative medical care can identify issues, both physical and behavioral, that can help put a child on the path to academic success, Race said. It can also save money later through reduced special education or remediation costs, he said.

"The more we do up front to give kids a solid foundation ... the more money we all save later on as they go through school," he said.

Englerth said it's important for young children to see doctors regularly because doctors can pick up on early learning challenges, such as speech or motor skills not progressing on track.

"Those challenges can be addressed well before they get into the classroom," she said.

Well-child checkups are about more than just getting immunizations, she said.

"We're really assessing early learning and development so we can support that child becoming the best learner they can possibly be and (being) ready for school when it's time to go," she said.

Children's insurance options

CHIP, Pennsylvania'sChildren's Health Insurance Program, is available to all uninsured children and teens who are not eligible for or enrolled in Medical Assistance, according to the program website. Learn more at www.chipcoverspakids.com.

Information on Medicaid is available on the state Department of Public Welfare website at www.dpw.state.pa.us. Click on "for children" and then "HealthCare/Medical Assistance."

Learn more about health care coverage programs in Pennsylvania at www.insurekidsnow.gov or by calling 1-877-543-7669.

By the numbers

Here's a look at some York County statistics from the 2012 School Readiness report from Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children:

Children, birth to age 4, without health insurance:

297 in 2009

392 in 2010

Children funded by public health insurance:

12,562 in June 2011

11,344 in June 2012

Spaces available in high-quality child care:

476 in 2011

528 in 2012

Children, age 3 and 4, in publicly funded pre-kindergarten:

922, or 8.5 percent, in 2010-11

920, or 8.5 percent, in 2011-12

See more county data, as well as state data, at www.papartnerships.org.

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(c)2012 York Daily Record (York, Pa.)

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