Study: almost a third of kids lost coverage when their parents lost job

Among children whose parents suffered a job loss from 2000-2004, almost a third lost their health care coverage, according to a new study from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. And in children from low-income families, almost half lost insurance coverage.

Keep in mind that this data comes from the early 2000s; just imagine the damage done by the great recession! But as the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families pointed out in a blog entry yesterday, there is some good news for children’s health, too: “Thanks to the hard work of Governors, state-based advocates, and political leaders in Washington who have made a strong commitment to covering children, many of the children in families losing jobs now are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP and, increasingly, they are facing easier, more family-friendly enrollment procedures.”