Utah earns high rankings for healthy kids

SALT LAKE CITY — When compared with the rest of the country, children in Utah may have high potential to lead healthy lives, although conditions aren't necessarily equitable among them now, especially when it comes to health care.

Children, however, can't do much about where they live, how much money their parents make or their access to health insurance, according to a recent report from the Commonwealth Fund.

The fund released state-by-state scorecards, placing Utah No. 23 in the nation for overall child health system performance. It found that recent federal action to extend insurance to children everywhere "has made a critical difference" in reducing the number of uninsured children as well as maintaining children's coverage throughout the ongoing recession, the report states.

In Utah, the numbers have been relatively steady over the years, but most recently there has been "an upward trend" in enrollment for both the Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicaid, said Kolbi Young, a spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Health. She said changes to the rules in 2007 to allow a continual enrollment period has helped to make the program more accessible.

"It is filling that gap for families who cannot otherwise afford private or commercial health insurance and it is not offered to them through their employment," Young said.

Mass marketing and outreach efforts for CHIP and Medicaid were recently axed along with departmental budget cuts, she said, making it more difficult to get out information about the health care options for children.

According to the report, Utah ranks 17th among 50 states and the District of Columbia in access and affordability, which is partly due to the recent changes in enrollment protocol.

Locally, CHIP insures 37,580 children, while Utah's Medicaid currently covers health care for more than 170,000 kids in the state. Nationally, the two programs fund health care for more than a third of all children. Children's coverage has expanded in 35 states since 2000 and held steady even in the middle of a recession, the report states.

The fund gives Utah high marks in infant and child mortality, as well as for the low percentage of high school students who smoke. Compared with national stats, Utah has the lowest number of children who smoke, resulting in a higher potential to be healthy adults.

While the report assessed 20 indicators of how the health system is performing for children in each state, it found there is room for improvement in all states. Even leading states have "substantial shortfalls for children."

There still exists wide differences in insurance coverage rates among states, as well as a wide gap in the number of children who receive all recommended doses of six key vaccines. The report also finds that where a child grows up impacts their ability to lead a healthy life into adulthood.

Utah ranks 5th in the "healthy lives" category, while Minnesota is first, due to its similarly low rates of infant and child mortality, obesity, dental problems and children at risk for developmental delays. Arkansas, Mississippi and the District of Columbia rank last, with some of the worst rates on such indicators.

Uninsured, low-income and minority children are at greater risk in nearly all states, the report finds, as nationwide 35 percent of low-income children have not received recommended medical and dental visits, while only one in five higher-income children have not received recommended check-ups.

"A healthy start in life is essential for a child's success," coauthor of the report and Commonwealth Fund Vice President Dr. Edward Schor said. "The wide differences in health care costs across the U.S. put that healthy start in jeopardy for millions of children. We can do better."

Researchers believe that by 2019, insured rates are projected to be as high in every state as they are in the top-ranked states (Massachusetts, Hawaii and Connecticut) today.

Email:wleonard@ksl.com

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