Dental Benefit, Grim Health Picture For California’s Low-income Kids
There are some positives – the number of overweight children in California declined slightly and preschool enrollment increased. Yet the overall health picture, especially for California’s low-income kids, is grim according to research brief “Trends in the Health of Young Children in California” by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and sponsored by First 5 California.
The brief found that two-thirds of California children are without health insurance are from low-income families. Low-income children utilize community clinics for primary care at three times the rate of higher income children. And the proportion of children enrolled in private health insurance is shrinking – while the reliance on public programs is growing.