(Washington, D.C., Thursday, November 29, 2018) – The nation’s steady progress on children’s health care came to a halt as the number of uninsured children increased last year for the first time in nearly a decade. Between 2016 and 2017, the number of uninsured children increased by about 276,000 to an estimated 3.9 million.

The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families’ report found that no state, other than D.C., was able to keep the momentum going for children – even with an improving economy and low unemployment.

Three-quarters of the children who lost coverage between 2016 and 2017 live in states that have not expanded Medicaid. The uninsured rate for children in states that have not expanded Medicaid increased at triple the rate experienced in states that had.

The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF) is an independent, nonpartisan policy and research center founded in 2005 with a mission to support access to high-quality, comprehensive and affordable health coverage for all of America’s children and families.

Georgetown CCF provides research, develops strategies, and offers solutions to improve the health of America’s children and families, particularly those with low and moderate incomes. In particular, CCF examines policy development and implementation efforts related to Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Affordable Care Act.