SAN ANTONIO – Children in Texas are more likely to be without health insurance than in any other state.
The new report was released by the American Community Survey (ACS), which falls under the umbrella of the U.S. Census Bureau.
The new ACS looked at the uninsured rate for kids until the age of 18 and found that almost 12% of children in Texas were uninsured last year. Texas’ rate is higher than any other state.
Gabriel Velasquez is the CEO of Avenida Guadalupe, a San Antonio nonprofit that helps low-income families around the city.
“A healthy child that’s going to school is going to do better,” Velasquez told KSAT on Thursday night.
Velasquez said our state’s statistics should alarm everyone.
“That child isn’t going to be expected to get a good job or be able to get an education,” Velasquez said. “And now, we’re talking about the future.”
The same study found that Arizona ranked second, with almost 9% of children who were uninsured last year.