Idaho Sees Surge in Uninsured Children

Boise – A recent report highlights a troubling rise in the number of children in Idaho lacking health insurance, marking it as the second fastest increase in the nation.

From 2022 to 2024, the uninsured rate for children in Idaho climbed from 5.7% to 8.1%. This translates to an increase of uninsured children from 28,000 to 40,000, according to findings released by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families earlier this month.

The report examined child health insurance trends nationwide as states began the process of removing people from Medicaid now that pandemic-related registration protections have lapsed. This situation, referred to as Medicaid rewind, was discussed in a recent webinar led by the center’s executive director, Joanne Alker, who noted this trend as a factor contributing to Idaho’s significant increase in uninsured children.

Alker emphasized, “A single broken arm on the playground can financially cripple families that are already facing challenges. The number of uninsured children in Idaho should alarm policymakers, and unfortunately, access to healthcare for children is likely to worsen.”

Idaho’s quick Medicaid rewind process resulted in the loss of coverage for many children, primarily due to a lack of response to the state’s information requests, as reported earlier by Idaho Capital Sun. Nearly three-quarters of the roughly 50,000 children who lost Medicaid coverage did so for non-compliance with these requests, according to a news release from Idaho Voices for Children.

The organization is urging Idaho’s legislators to consider expanding enhanced premium tax credits that families can utilize to obtain discounted private health insurance through state exchanges.

These credits are set to expire at the year’s end, and Congress has yet to take action on extending them. Without these credits, around 35,000 Idahoans could face losing their health insurance due to sudden increases in premiums, as previously reported by Taiyo.