The Nation : Dramatic Decline in Child Health Found

The health of American children has declined dramatically in the 1980s, with millions of them facing a “crisis” fueled by their increasing lack of health insurance coverage, a study reported. Decades of progress in child health have been eroded, with fewer than 60% of American children under age 4 receiving basic immunizations in 1985, the National Assn. of Children’s Hospital and Related Institutions said in its two-year study, “Profile of Child Health in the United States.” There are 64 million Americans under age 18, with 12 million of them not covered by public or private health insurance, the study found, adding that in 1986, uninsured children received 40% less health care than their insured peers and 7 million children failed to receive routine medical care because of the cost.