Health Insurance Status of Adolescents in the United States

Abstract

This analysis of a sample of 15 181 adolescents aged 10 to 18 years from the National Health Interview Survey indicates that 86% of adolescents had some form of private or public health care coverage during 1984. Nevertheless, one in every seven adolescents, or nearly 4.5 million nationwide, were without any form of health insurance coverage. Adolescents without insurance coverage were concentrated in poor and near-poor households, families with little formal education, and were more likely to live in the South or West. Minorities, especially Hispanic adolescents, were less likely than white adolescents to have some form of health insurance coverage, but much of this difference was attributable to the smaller incomes of minorities. Similarly, although adolescents living in single-parent households were less likely to be insured, the reduced likelihood of coverage appears to be primarily attributable to smaller family income in single-parent households. That family economics plays a central role in determining whether an adolescent had some form of coverage was confirmed by interview results concerning the major reasons for absence of coverage; 8 of 10 uninsured families cited economic reasons for absence of coverage. Together, these results indicate the principal barriers to obtaining health insurance are economic in nature. Public and private sector initiatives for reducing the size of the uninsured adolescent population are discussed.