WASHINGTON - September 25 - A majority of the more than 9 million children without health insurance in the United States live in two-parent families, according to a new report. In most of these two-parent families, both parents work.

These are among the key findings in a comprehensive new analysis of uninsured children to be released on Sept. 28 by the national consumer organization Families USA on behalf of the Campaign for Children’s Health Care – a coalition of more than 50 national organizations that seek to address the plight of uninsured children.

According to the report, the overwhelming majority of uninsured children (88.3 percent) come from families where at least one parent works. For children who are uninsured, they are far less likely to receive needed health care than insured children. The report also details the medical outcomes afflicting uninsured children. It reveals, for example, that the uninsured child is many times more likely to lack a usual source of health care, have far fewer doctor visits, and have many more unmet medical and dental needs than the insured child.

In addition, the report provides detailed state-by-state data on the number of uninsured children in the state, family status, and family income. The report also includes the rates of uninsured children ranked by state.

WHAT: National Release of Report No Shelter from the Storm: America’s Uninsured Children. The report will contain state-by-state numbers of uninsured children, and it will rank the best and worst states, based on the number of insured and uninsured children in each state.

WHEN: 10 a.m. EDT – Thursday, Sept. 28, 2006

WHERE: National Press Club – First Amendment Room

WHO:

• Ron Pollack, Executive Director, Families USA
• Dr. David Alexander, Medical Advisor for Public Policy, National Association of Children’s Hospitals
• Dr. Rhonique Harris, MHA, Medical Director, Mobile Health Programs, Children’s National Medical Center
• Other participants to be named

Note: The National Press Club event will be followed later Thursday by a national teleconference for non-DC press.

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