Facts to Consider

Among children who were uninsured at some point during 2003, over half (52.2 percent) were in families with two married adults.

• Among children who are uninsured at some point in 2003, 31.6 percent live with families that have one adult.
• Other family arrangements, such as living with grandparents or an aunt, account for the remaining 16.2 percent of children who were uninsured at some point in 2003.

These statistics about family status among uninsured children come from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) for 2003, found in this table.

This is an example of what is available in ERIU's "fast facts" about the uninsured. While statistics about the family status of the uninsured are available elsewhere, ERIU's "fast facts" are unique in offering "next level" tabulations of characteristics of the uninsured, looking at characteristics within groups. Among Hispanic children who are uninsured at some point in a year, what share live in families with two married adults? (Answer: 58.6 percent.) Among white non-Hispanic children who are uninsured at some point in a year, what share live in families with two married adults? (Answer: 54.5 percent.) And what is the share of uninsured black non-Hispanic children who live in families with two married adults? (Answer: 24.7 percent.)

ERIU's fast facts about uninsured children include tables on income (poverty level) by race and ethnicity, family-level labor force participation, and medical utilization. In addition, data are available for different reference periods (all year, part year, point in time), and for different data sources: Current Population Survey (CPS) and Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP, in addition to MEPS).

For more on ERIU's "fast facts": ERIU Fast Facts