Carsey School of Public Policy at The University of New Hampshire
Abstract
Health insurance remains one of the most important factors in predicting access to health care. Providing health insurance to ensure that children receive adequate care has been a priority among policy makers and children's advocacy groups for more than fifty years. The majority of American children (58.8 percent) are covered by private insurance, typically through their parents' employers. However, when parents become unemployed or otherwise lose employment benefits, public insurance may be the only option. The Great Recession caused many families to experience such hardship.