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Mississippi Value:
Percentage of children younger than 19 years not covered by private or public health insurance
Mississippi Rank:
Percentage of children younger than 19 years not covered by private or public health insurance
1.5% - 3.3%
3.4% - 4.1%
4.2% - 5.2%
5.3% - 6.6%
6.7% - 11.9%
No Data
US Value: 5.4 %
Top State(s): Massachusetts: 1.5 %
Bottom State(s): Texas: 11.9 %
Definition: Percentage of children younger than 19 years not covered by private or public health insurance
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 1-Year Dataset, 2023
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 1-Year Dataset, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
Health insurance is critical for ensuring that children receive the medical care they need to achieve and maintain good health. Children with health insurance coverage are more likely to have a usual source of care and less likely to delay or forgo necessary medical care because of cost.
When compared with children who have health insurance, uninsured children experience more health disadvantages, including:
In 2023, 5.8% of children ages 0-19 in the United States had no health insurance, 61.2% were privately insured and 36.2% had coverage through public plans such as Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or other government-sponsored health plans. The number of uninsured children in the U.S. rose by 4 million between 2022 and 2023.
The uninsured rate is higher among:
Public programs such as Medicaid and CHIP have made significant strides in increasing access to and the quality of care and improving health status for low-income children. States that have expanded Medicaid eligibility have substantially improved children's insurance rates. To date, 10 states have still not expanded Medicaid coverage.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests several steps schools can take to help students with health care access, including identifying uninsured children at the beginning of the school year, educating families on their coverage options and offering enrollment assistance.
Increasing the proportion of Americans with health insurance is a leading health indicator for Healthy People 2030. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a strategic goal to improve the availability and accessibility of health insurance coverage by increasing enrollment of eligible children in CHIP and Medicaid.
Abdullah, Fizan, Yiyi Zhang, Thomas Lardaro, Marissa Black, Paul M. Colombani, Kristin Chrouser, Peter J. Pronovost, and David C. Chang. “Analysis of 23 Million US Hospitalizations: Uninsured Children Have Higher All-Cause in-Hospital Mortality.” Journal of Public Health 32, no. 2 (June 1, 2010): 236–44. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdp099.
Hill, Holly A., David Yankey, Laurie D. Elam-Evans, Michael Chen, and James A. Singleton. “Vaccination Coverage by Age 24 Months Among Children Born in 2019 and 2020 — National Immunization Survey-Child, United States, 2020–2022.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 72, no. 44 (November 3, 2023): 1190–96. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7244a3.
Hill, Latoya, Nambi Ndugga, Samantha Artiga, and Anthony Damico. Health Coverage by Race and Ethnicity, 2010-2023. Issue Brief. KFF, February 13, 2025. https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/health-coverage-by-race-and-ethnicity/.
Keisler-Starkey, Katherine, and Lisa N. Bunch. Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2023. Current Population Reports P60-284. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau, September 2024. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/p60-284.pdf.
Kreider, Amanda R., Benjamin French, Jaya Aysola, Brendan Saloner, Kathleen G. Noonan, and David M. Rubin. “Quality of Health Insurance Coverage and Access to Care for Children in Low-Income Families.” JAMA Pediatrics 170, no. 1 (January 1, 2016): 43. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.3028.
Kusma, Jennifer D., Jean L. Raphael, James M. Perrin, Mark L. Hudak, James M. Perrin, Lisa Chamberlain, Jennifer D. Kusma, et al. “Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program: Optimization to Promote Equity in Child and Young Adult Health.” Pediatrics 152, no. 5 (November 1, 2023): e2023064088. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-064088.
Tolbert, Jennifer, Sammy Cervantes, Clea Bell, and Anthony Damico. Key Facts about the Uninsured Population. Issue Brief. KFF, December 18, 2024. https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Performance Plan and Report. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, March 2024.https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fy2025-performance-plan.pdf.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.
