Summary
More than 2 million children in California do not have any form of health insurance. The proportion of uninsured children in the state has increased over the past several years (from 17% in 1995 to 21% in 1998) and is significantly higher than in the rest of the nation (15% in 1998). Under new eligibility provisions approved in November 1999, approximately 1.48 million of California’s uninsured children are eligible for either the Healthy Families or Medi-Cal program. Many, however, are not enrolled. Under current policy, more than four in ten (44%) uninsured children eligible for the Medi-Cal or Healthy Families Programs live in Los Angeles County, three in ten (30%) live in the rest of the Southern California region excluding Los Angeles County), 9% in Northern California, 10% in the Greater Bay Area, and 7% in the Central Valley.
