“Rural and Urban Children Have Lower Rates of Health Insurance Coverage and are More Often Covered by Public Plans”

The research brief examines the geographic distribution of health insurance for children. It finds that 1 in 10 American children has no health insurance coverage, and insurance rates vary considerably by geographic area. In 14 states, rural children are the least likely to be insured. In another eight states, rural and urban children are insured at about the same rate, significantly lower than suburban children. Data also suggests that rural children are the least likely to be covered by private insurance and the most likely to depend on public plans for their health care.

The brief, produced by the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire, is based on data from the 2008 American Community Survey.

Read the brief.