New on kidsdata: 2009 Data on Child Health Insurance and Doctor Visits

Data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) on children’s health care in California have just been updated on kidsdata.org. These data, from CHIS’ 2009 survey, do not reflect the current impact of the Great Recession, but they are among the most recently available statewide data on this topic.

Find Data for Your Region

• Local health care data on kidsdata.org are available for four indicators from CHIS:
  Delayed or No Medical Care
  Health Insurance Coverage
  Insurance Coverage, by Status and Type of Insurance
  Length of Time Since Last Routine Health Check-Up
  
  
• See more CHIS data from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
  
  
• Related Blog Post: '09 CHIS Data on Asthma, Teen Sexual Health Also Added to Kidsdata.org

About Half of Children Statewide Insured Through Employers

An estimated 53% of children in California were insured through their parents’ employers in 2009, down from 59% in ‘01. Meanwhile, the percentage of CA children insured through Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, and other public programs increased from about 29% in ’01 to 38% in ’09.

Percent of Uninsured Children Declined from '01 to '09

CHIS data indicate that the percentage of California children who are uninsured had declined between ’01 and ‘09. In most regions for which data are available, more than 90% of children had health insurance in ’09. These figures do not capture the current effects of the economic downturn and California’s budget crisis.

Routine Health Check-Ups Increased for Youth from '01-'09

The percentage of youth ages 12-17 in California who have never had a routine health check-up, or who had one more than 12 months ago, had been declining, from about 23% in ’01 to about 14% in ’09, and the percentage of youth with routine check-ups in the last 12 months prior to the survey rose from 77% to 86%.

Perspective on These Data

• Policy Implications
  
  
• Research & Links
  
  
• Why This Topic Is Important

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