The vast majority of North Dakota children ages 0 to 17 are covered by some form of health insurance. Estimates indicate that the 2004 through 2006 average of uninsured children in North Dakota was 9.4 percent (approximately 14,000 children), which is roughly equivalent to the state’s eighth largest city, Jamestown.

This month’s “Economic Brief,” a monthly publication from the North Dakota State Data Center at North Dakota State University, focuses on children ages 0 to 17 without health insurance in North Dakota. The Current Population Survey (CPS) and Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC), a joint project by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, provides annual estimates of the number of people with and without health insurance by selected characteristics.

The CPS-ASEC project is designed to collect statistically reliable estimates, primarily at the national level. Because state estimates are less reliable (due to the relatively small sample sizes which can cause state estimates to fluctuate widely year-to-year), the Census Bureau recommends using three-year averages to compare estimates across states and two-year averages to evaluate changes in state estimates through time.

Though confidence intervals around the estimates can be relatively large for states such as North Dakota, CPS statistics are one way of estimating the number of children at risk. Three-year averages from 2004 through 2006 by the CPS-ASEC project indicate the majority of North Dakota children have health insurance coverage, but 9.4 percent do not.

Nationally, 11 percent of the children were without health insurance coverage.

“Strong support for SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program), Medicaid and the Caring Program for Children have allowed North Dakota to keep the vast majority of our children insured,” says Richard Rathge, State Data Center director. “This is an accomplishment all of us should be proud of.”

Comparing all states using three-year average uninsured rates for 2004 through 2006 shows that Texas had the highest proportion of uninsured children in the nation (20.3 percent), while Hawaii and Michigan had the lowest (5.2 percent). When examining the two-year averages between 2004 through 2005 and 2005 through 2006, three states had a statistically significant change in the proportion of uninsured children. Florida, Louisiana and New York showed an increase in the proportion of uninsured youth.

NDSU Agriculture Communication