November 2014 Group Watch: Alabama Leads South in Children’s Health Insurance
Alabama has done a better job than all of its Southern neighbors and ranks fifth in the nation in providing health insurance to children, according to a recent study by Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute. The report found that the steady decline in the children’s uninsured rate across the country since Congress created the Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997 has slowed. Alabama stands out among Southern states. The 48,181 residents younger than 18 who had no health insurance in 2013 represented just 4.3 percent of all children. This is the 10th lowest rate in the country, well below the national average. Alabama moved up eight places from 2011, when it ranked 18th.
