AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — More than a million Texas children remain without health insurance, and those kids are not getting the care they need.
The startling condition of the state's children came into vivid focus last week with the release of the annual Kids Count survey. The analysis of official state and federal data by the non-partisan Center for Public Policy Priorities found that 1.2 million Texas children have neither private nor public health insurance.
Statistics show almost 40 percent of Texas mothers received little or no prenatal care and one in seven babies were born premature. The difference between being insured and uninsured is stark: 90 percent of insured kids are healthy, while only 58 percent of kids without insurance are considered healthy.
The authors hope the study will inform future state policy.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.