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Friday, March 28, 1997

Texas leads nation in percentage of uninsured children

By CHIP BROWN

Associated Press Writer

AUSTIN (AP) - Texas leads the nation in the percentage of children without health insurance coverage, according to a national study released Thursday.

Families USA Foundation, a Washington nonprofit organization dedicated to affordable, nationwide health care, conducted the study, which found that one in seven children in the United States lacked health insurance in 1995 and 1996.

The study found that states in the South and West have the highest percentage of children without health coverage.

Texas led the nation with 46 percent of its children uninsured; New Mexico and Louisiana were second at 43 percent; and Arkansas was third at 42 percent, according to the study.

Of the states with the highest number of uninsured children for all or part of 1995 and 1996, California was first with 3.4 million, Texas was second with 2.6 million and New York was third with 1.5 million.

"Several studies show that employers are less and less likely to offer health insurance for workers' family members," said Cheryl Fish-Parcham, the health policy analyst for Families USA who coordinated the study.

"Many companies that do offer family coverage now require the employee to pay more of the premium. For some workers, it's a choice between health insurance for the kids or food on the table."

Insurance industry spokesman Jerry Johns, of the Southwestern Insurance Information Service, said high medical costs are driving insurance rates up.

"Health insurance has become so terribly expensive because of high medical fees and charges, and that is one of the big reasons why Texas children don't have health insurance," Johns said.

Lisa McGiffert, a Consumers Union senior policy analyst in Austin, said the results are "profoundly disturbing for Texans and Americans in general and unbecoming of the richest country on earth."

Ms. McGiffert said the study's findings are particularly alarming because the vast majority of uninsured children live in working families.

"These are people who work hard every day and still are unable to provide for their own children's health care needs," Ms. McGiffert said.

Ms. McGiffert said Consumers Union is supporting a bill being considered by the Legislature that seeks to make affordable health insurance coverage available to more young Texans.

The bill by Rep. Hugo Berlanga, D-Corpus Christi, is a top priority of House Speaker Pete Laney's and targets parents who are self-employed, in service-related jobs, temporary jobs or are working for the growing number of employers who are diminishing dependent coverage.

Under the plan, existing health insurance companies would be given incentives to bid to offer a primary and preventive health benefits package that would be affordable and accessible for the first time for these families.

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