Progress Made • Asian children are the only group to have continued seeing improved uninsured rates from 2019 pre-pandemic to present: 4.4% in 2019 down to 4.2% in 2021 and 3.8% in 2022 (Chart A). No disproportionality exists for Asian children at the state level with uninsured rates well below the population rate (Chart B). • Hispanic or Latino children have also made progress since the prior year, with a drop in the uninsured rate from 5.1% to 4.9%, although it remains slightly above the 2019 pre-pandemic rate of 4.7% (Chart A). The uninsured rate for Hispanic or Latino children has improved enough to erase the disproportionality that existed during the last report and is now nearly proportional with the population rate (Chart B). • The uninsured rate for children who identify as Some Other Race remained relatively stable compared to the prior year, shifting from 6.2% to 6.1%, yet well above the 2019 pre- pandemic rate of 4.8% (Chart A). This group of children also represents the biggest difference between their uninsured rate and population rate, representing some disproportionality, albeit on the lower end of the index and to a lesser degree than the prior year (Chart B). And while we don’t see great differences and disproportionality at the statewide level, the Counties by the Numbers fact sheets include data that paints a more localized picture of racial disparities in obtaining health insurance. For example, counties with scores on the higher end of the racial disproportionality index with the biggest differences between their uninsured rates and population rates represent the greatest disproportionality. The following counties have uninsured rates for children at least 3x higher than the group’s population size in their county:
• The uninsured rates for Asian children are 6.2x higher than its population in Beaver County and 9.9x higher than its population in Columbia County. • The uninsured rates for Black children are 11.5x higher than its population in Carbon County and 4.2x higher than its population in Wayne County. • The uninsured rates for children who identify as Some Other Race are 5.8x higher than its population in Erie County; 7.5x higher than its population in Lackawanna County; and 7.2x higher than its population in Washington County. • The uninsured rates for children who identify as Two or More Races are 3.5x higher than its population in Susquehanna and Westmoreland counties and 3.7x higher than its population in Union County. • The uninsured rates for Hispanic or Latino childre n are 3.5x higher than its population in Montgomery County; 5.2x higher than its population in Washington County; and 4x higher than its population in Wyoming County.
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Health Insurance Trends During the Final Year of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
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