Pennsylvania is one of just three states in which the percentage of uninsured kids increased in 2022, according to a recently released report from the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.
At first glance, the numbers don’t appear too striking — it was a bump of 4.4% in 2021 to 5.2% in 2022. Still, that accounts for some 19,000 additional kids across Pennsylvania who don’t have health insurance. In total, the report finds there are more than 145,000 uninsured children in the state, including nearly 6,000 in Allegheny County.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why this increase occurred, said Becky Ludwick, vice president of public policy for Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.