Left Behind: Texas’s Uninsured Children

One in five children living in Texas is without health insurance — the highest in the nation, according to a report released by Families USA.

The study, “Left Behind: Texas’s Uninsured Children,” found that 1.4 million children, or 20.5 percent of the population aged 18 and under were without health insurance in the three years from 2005 to 2007.

The number of uninsured children in the state grew by more than 33,000 between 2003 and 2007, according to the study.

Of the children without health insurance, 89.5 percent lived in a household where at least one parent worked, and 73.9 percent lived in a household where at least one family member worked at a year-round, full-time job.

Sixty-five percent of the children lived in low-income families — $35,200 for a family of three in 2008.

Washington D.C.-based Families USA is a national organization for health care consumers.