Children's health care coverage status was unchanged in 1998. Poor children made up 30.6 percent of all uninsured children in 1998. The rates were 19.7 percent for Black children, 16.8 percent for Asian and Pacific Islander children, and 10.6 percent for non-Hispanic White children. In 1998, Black children were more likely to be covered by medicaid than children of any other race or ethnic group. Medicaid provided health insurance for 38.8 percent of Black children, 29.8 percent of Hispanic children, 12.5 percent of non-Hispanic White children, and 19.2 percent of Asian and Pacific Islander children.
Some states have higher noncoverage rates than others.
We advise against using these estimates to rank the states, however. This report presents data on the health insurance coverage of people in the United States during the 1998 calendar year. Data from HCFA represent the actual number of people who were enrolled or participated in these programs and are a more accurate source of data on levels of coverage. Also, many people may not be aware that they or their children are covered by a health insurance program and, therefore, do not report coverage. Changes in medicaid coverage estimates from one year to the next should be viewed with caution.