A national study released in November from the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute’s Center for Children and Families found the rate of uninsured children in the U.S. reached an historic low in 2012 even as poverty rates for kids remains high.  

Using state-by-state census data, the report found the national average for children without health insurance was at 7.2 percent last year.  Florida was one of 15 states with a rate significantly above the national average.

“Florida, unfortunately, has been very much a trouble spot in respect to uninsured children,” said Center for Children and Families Executive Director Joan Alker.  “We did see quite a bit of progress in Florida.  Your rate came down almost two percentage points to 10.9 percent.  So that’s good progress, but you’re still considerably above the national average.”

The report finds nearly 70 percent of uninsured children in the U.S. are actually eligible for coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) which is called Healthy Kids here in Florida, but they simply haven’t been enrolled. 

“So we’re seeing improvement in that regard, but there’s more work to be done,” said Alker.  “And that’s a question really of educating folks to the fact that their kids may be eligible, but also making a simple and streamline path to coverage and really pitting out the welcome mat for those families.”

The report also indicates children in households with incomes just over the poverty line are actually less likely to be insured than kids living in poverty.  It also found that Latino children make up a disproportionate number of uninsured children. Latino children make up about 24 percent of the child population, but a whopping 40 percent of the uninsured child population.

Another recent study commissioned by the Health Policy Institute surveyed adults around the country and found that just 13 percent thought the rate of uninsured kids was on the decline and that most thought the opposite trend has been occurring.