Advocates had been worried the rate of Pennsylvania children lacking health insurance would worsen in 2023, particularly due to the post-pandemic unwinding of automatic renewal of coverage under public plans. It had already climbed by nearly a full percent the year prior.
Instead, the rate stabilized, with just a slight uptick in the aggregate count – growing by about 2,000 kids, far fewer than expected, according to a new analysis.
Without any improvement, however, Pennsylvania still has the fifth-largest number of uninsured children in the nation, researchers at Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children found.
The estimated 147,000 children without health insurance exceeds the entire population of Lebanon County, the state’s 24th-most-populous county.