Anchorage Daily News

One out of 10 children in Alaska has no health insurance, according to a new report by a national organization for health care consumers.

The analysis by Families USA concluded that the ranks of uninsured Alaskans include about 19,000 children -- 9.9 percent of all residents in Alaska under 18 years of age.

Nationwide there are 8.6 million children without health insurance. Families USA officials predict that number will grow as the economic downturn continues and more Americans struggle to find private health insurance.

"As state budgets become increasingly precarious due to the looming recession, this is exactly the time that states need an increase in funding" for child health care programs, said Ron Pollock, director of Families USA.

Only 19 states have a higher rate of uninsured children than Alaska, the report noted. Alaska ranked No. 20th nationwide.

The state with the highest rate of uninsured children was Texas, where one in five children (20.5 percent) live outside the safety net. The state with the lowest rate was Iowa, at 5.2 percent.

Nine out of every 10 uninsured children (88.2 percent) nationwide come from families where at least one parent works, the report noted. Two-thirds live in households where at least one family member works full time year around.

Families USA describes itself as a nonpartisan, nonprofit group.

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