Summary
Using data from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey, researchers found that more than half of the uninsured children in California are eligible for public programs but are not enrolled, a further sign of the limitations in current health insurance arrangements. The authors also note that a measure on the November 2006 ballot, Proposition 86, would provide stable insurance for as many as 400,000 children who are currently ineligible for public programs. The number of children who were uninsured at the time of the 2005 interview was 763,000, a figure that remained stable from 2003, according to the second study. Reflecting the shift from employment-based coverage to public programs, Medi-Cal and Healthy Families covered nearly one in three California children all year in 2005 (30.9 percent), a statistically significant increase from 29.2 percent in 2003, and a 6.7 percentage point increase from 24.2 percent in 2001. This fact sheet was developed with grants from The California Endowment.
