Health Care Coverage for Children in the State of South Carolina
Health Care Coverage for Children in the State of South Carolina
The purpose of Health Fund For Children remains the raising of funds for children in need of quality healthcare. To know more about why we exist requires a deeper understanding of the current state of health coverage for children in the State of South Carolina.
69,000 Uninsured Children
In the state of South Carolina, one in 17 children (younger than 19 years of age) do not have health insurance. The child poverty rate in SC is a staggering 23 percent. About 69,000 children in South Carolina are uninsured.
State Funded Insurance Programs are Failing Many Low-Income Families
Even with Medicaid benefits available to children in South Carolina, it is clear that there are barriers that prevent families from applying for or receiving Medicaid coverage for their children. Studies have shown if parents have insurance their children likely have insurance as well. An insured parent almost never has an uninsured child. Yet, South Carolina is one of 12 states that has not adopted Medicaid expansion which would cover more low-income residents and their children.
“Since 2016, the number of uninsured children in the US continues to increase. Worsening disparities are especially high for Hispanic children, undocumented children, children living in the south, and children in families with lower incomes.”
– The State of America’s Children, 2021, Children’s Defense Fund
Noncitizens at Increased Risk
In 2018 it was estimated that 3% of the total population of children in the US were noncitizens. (American Community Survey, 2018) As undocumented immigrants, these children are not eligible for Medicaid, CHIP or health insurance subsidies provided through the Affordable Care Act even though their family’s income is below the poverty level.
States that currently provide Medicaid for undocumented children: California, Oregon, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, and District of Columbia. New Jersey has a bill pending, called Cover All Kids.
What We Can Do
Health Fund for Children exists to cover some of the gaps in these inequities. When uninsured children need health care for emergency, chronic or wellness medical needs, they do not need it any less than an insured child does. But there is often little hope for their families to provide the care they need when faced with the costs associated. This leaves children, our most vulnerable population, out in the cold with little options. HF4C believes that all children deserve the right to quality healthcare. Our sole function is to raise funds that can be gifted to families in critical need.
Quality health care supports a child’s physical, emotional, and cognitive development, & aids in their ability to reach full potential. Health Fund for Children will financially assist children to receive much-needed health care.