In the News
Big Gains in Number of California Children with Health Insurance and Regular Dental Care
Sue Holtby, PHI's project director on the California Health Interview Survey, comments in this article about the study which found gains in the number of California children receiving dental care and health insurance coverage but that "some beneficial services remain out of reach for low-income families."
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Research – Survey
An impressive 3 in 4 California children ages 2 to 5 had a regular dental checkup in 2012, including those from poorer households, according to a new policy brief by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
A decade earlier, just half the children in low-income households made an annual visit to the dentist, along with 60 percent of those from higher-income households.
The findings are part of a comprehensive new study that tracked young children‘s health in California from 2003 to 2012. The study found gains in many areas, including health insurance coverage and dental care, but showed a drop in preschool participation, perhaps because of the associated costs.
“These are really encouraging trends for the health and well-being of children in California,” said Sue Holtby of the Public Health Institute, who is lead author of the study. “But some beneficial services remain out of reach for low-income families. The challenge for policymakers is to continue to improve access to, and quality of, the care children receive.”
Originally published by Medical Xpress
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