A new report found children in Missouri are losing health coverage as Medicaid’s “unwinding” takes hold.
Unwinding is the process of checking eligibility again as pandemic protections have ended. The report from Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families showed the national uninsured rate for kids climbed from just over 5% in 2022 to 6 % in 2024, the highest in nearly a decade.
The report warned many Missouri children were likely still eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, but lost coverage because of glitches in the system.
Casey Hanson, deputy director of Kids Win Missouri, said the state has a critical role to play in reversing the trend.
"As a state, we have to ask what systems, investments, do we need to make in order to ensure that we're not constructing barriers that prevent families from getting that coverage they need," Hanson urged,
Missouri was among 22 states with a statistically significant increase. Researchers warned that the expiration of enhanced marketplace subsidies could bring even more risks for families.
The report highlighted geography matters. Kids in rural states such as Missouri depend more on Medicaid, and coverage losses hit harder where hospitals are already stretched.
Joan Alker, executive director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University, added that the benefits of keeping children insured reach far beyond the doctor’s office.
"There's also plenty of research that makes clear that having Medicaid coverage for children results in better access to care, improved health, educational, and economic outcomes in adulthood," Alker outlined.
Researchers said without changes in state and federal policy, even more Missouri kids and children across the nation could be left uninsured in the years ahead.
The Missouri Public News Service originally published this story. Missouri Public News Service is a partner with KRCU Public Radio.
