In Utah and around the country, fewer children were insured in 2017 than in 2016, according to a report released Thursday by Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute.
Researchers wrote that access to health coverage was affected by debates over the Affordable Care Act — including the repeal of the individual mandate and efforts to undermine enrollment — and an “unprecedented” lapse in the funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.
Policies targeting immigrant communities likely also deterred parents from enrolling their children in federal health-care programs, the report states.
“This constellation of national trends has likely created an ‘unwelcome mat’ effect," the report states, “where families are unaware of their options or deterred from seeking coverage.