Oregon children in working families short on coverage

One in nine Oregon children lacks health coverage, and most uninsured children in the state have an employed parent, Census Bureau figures show.

"These children are in working families," said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a national advocacy group for affordable health care coverage that on Tuesday released a report based on the new data.

Nearly 88 percent of uninsured Oregon children come from families where at least one parent works, the census data show. Two-thirds live in households where at least one parent works full-time, year-round.

Oregon's rate of uninsured children is 11.7 percent for 2005-07, the most recent period for which data are available. That's unchanged from 2003-05 -- and slightly higher than the national average of 11.1 percent. The Census Bureau uses three-year averages, because they are more reliable statistically than year-to-year comparisons.

The number of uninsured is expected to rise during the current economic recession, as employers cut jobs and trim worker benefits. Both President-elect Obama and Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski have set broader health coverage for children as a priority.

Most uninsured children live in low-income families. Under the federally subsidized State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, Oregon's Medicaid plan covers children in families with incomes up to about $39,000 a year for a family of four.

SCHIP is due to expire at the end of March, and its extension and possible expansion will be one of the first high-profile issues to come before the next Congress.

Oregon ranks 18th-highest among states in its rate of uninsured children.

State health officials conduct their own survey of uninsured Oregonians every two years. The most recent available figures show that 12.6 percent of children younger than age 19 lacked health insurance in 2006. State and federal figures vary slightly because of technical differences in sampling and the question about lack of coverage.

More info: To see the full Families USA report: www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/uninsured-kids-2008/oregon.pdf

Don Colburn: 503-294-5124; doncolburn@news.oregonian.com