CARSON CITY, Nev. - The state has made some progress, but one in five Hispanic children in Nevada still does not have health insurance, according to a new report.
The study, released jointly by the National Council of La Raza and the Georgetown Center for Children and Families, showed that 20 percent - or 53,000 - Hispanic children are uninsured statewide, although that's an improvement of several thousand in recent years.
Part of the challenge, said Lisa Mariani, director of communications at the Children's Advocacy Alliance, is that outreach to these families can be difficult.
"So, we're hopeful that, through expanded awareness and education, we can reach more families," she said, "so that we can have more people enrolled in CHIP [Children's Health Insurance Program] in the state of Nevada."
Mariani said more kids likely would be insured through CHIP and other programs if the state would do more in-person outreach. She adds that Nevada's expansion of Medicaid, linked to the Affordable Care Act, should also help get more kids insured.
The report said the uninsured rate for all children in Nevada is the nation's highest at about 15 percent, compared with the national rate of slightly more than 7 percent.
Report co-author Sonya Schwartz, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center, said the rate for Hispanic children may be higher in part because of parents' fears related to immigration status. She said that shouldn't stop them from getting their kids insured.
"In the U.S., most Hispanic children are citizens - in fact, 93 percent of Hispanic kids in the U.S. are citizens - but some live in families where other family members are not," she said. "It's really important for parents to realize that it's safe to apply, even if not everyone in the home is a citizen."
Schwartz said expansion of Medicaid and CHIP programs, as well as greater state and federal
efforts for outreach and simplified enrollment, are key factors in helping to reduce the uninsured-child rate.
The report, "Hispanic Children's Coverage: Steady Progress, But Disparities Remain," is online at ccf.georgetown.edu.
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