97% of Children have Health Insurance, 5,787 Children Remain Uninsured
One in Three Children Overweight or Obese
PHILADELPHIA, PA (February 11, 2014) – PCCY’s latest report “The Bottom Line is Children: Children’s Health Status in Montgomery County” finds the strong majority of children in Montgomery County are healthy, but there are challenges that remain to ensuring a healthy life for every child.
The good news for Montgomery County from the report:
- Teen birth rate decreased 28% over the last five years.
- Fewer children (2%) were hospitalized for asthma-related health problems.
- 97% of all children are insured
The report also identified some trouble spots:
- 5,787 children are uninsured. Only Chester County had more uninsured children.
- More than 8,800 children became overweight or obese in the last five years, the largest jump (33%) in the region. About one in three Montgomery County children are overweight or obese.
- Only 14% of children under 6 were screened for lead, although two-thirds of Montgomery County homes may contain lead.
“Montgomery County does a great job of providing quality care for the vast majority of their children,” said Colleen McCauley, Health Director for PCCY. “We are happy to partner with the County to help close the gap so that all children can live healthy lives.”
“Research proves healthy children are more likely to grow up to become healthy, successful adults. Better childhood health is linked to improved educational attainment, better employment opportunities and higher income in adulthood,” according to a study from the Robert Wood Foundation.
One factor that may be contributing to children’s lack of health insurance is the number of Montgomery County children without qualifying immigration status. Every child in Pennsylvania is eligible for Medical Assistance or CHIP except children who are undocumented. In Montgomery County, there are approximately 1,838 children who are undocumented and uninsured. That represents about a third of the 5,692 children across the suburban Counties who are undocumented and do not have access to health insurance.
“No child, documented or undocumented, should ever have to suffer,” said Juan Guerra, Director of ACLAMO Family Services. “Every child should have health care regardless of their status.”
In Montgomery County there are 35,674 children- nearly one in three, who are overweight or obese. The number of children who became overweight or obese rose 33% over the last five years. Childhood obesity is not just contained to Montgomery County. Combined there are more than 114,000 children in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties who are overweight or obese.
“The health of the majority of children across the County is very good,” said Dr. Joseph DiMino, Director of the Montgomery County Health Department. “We are thankful for PCCY’s report to show us opportunities for making sure we are helping ensure every child in our County is healthy.”
Chairman of the Montgomery County Commissioners, Josh Shapiro commented, “I am proud of the work we are doing in Montgomery County and we look forward to partnering with PCCY to make further strides in protecting the health and welfare of the children of our county.”
To improve overall child health in Montgomery County, PCCY recommends that elected officials in the County:
- Build on the County’s strong enrollment activities through the Affordable Care Act and create new opportunities, particularly working with school district leaders, to insure children.
- Push the Commonwealth to remove the barrier to health coverage faced by undocumented children
- Encourage the State Department of Public Welfare to increase the quality of provider networks where necessary and improve efforts to reduce the incidence of obesity among the children served by the Medicaid Managed Care companies
- Advocate for improved state reporting on children without dental insurance and the number of children diagnosed and receiving treatment for behavioral health conditions
- Expand local lead screening efforts by identifying new funds or working with partners to expand lead poison screenings and remediation of homes
“The Bottom Line is Children: Children’s Health Status in Montgomery County,” is the latest in a four-part series looking at issues affecting children in each of Philadelphia’s suburban counties. PCCY’s previous reports on education and family economic security can be viewed at www.childrenfirstpa.org/bottomlinecountyreports
The full report “The Bottom Line is Children: Children’s Health Status in Montgomery County” can be viewed online at: www.childrenfirstpa.org/userfiles/file/BottomLineCountyReports/Montgomery/Health/PCCYBLHealthMontCo2014.pdf