skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Judge in Alien Enemies Act case chides DOJ lawyer over refusal to answer key questions about deportations; National Park layoffs impact AR economy; Experts say cuts to NOAA could impact MT fire, weather warnings; Alarming violence rates continue against Indigenous women.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump Administration fights a court order on deportation flights, as lawyers say the government is overreaching on expelling migrants, and NOAA cuts could spell trouble for those concerned about weather emergencies.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Farmers worry promised federal reimbursements aren't coming while fears mount that the Trump administration's efforts to raise cash means the sale of public lands, and rural America's shortage of doctors has many physicians skipping retirement.

Report: Arizona Insures 30% More Kids, Still 47th in Nation

play audio
Play

Thursday, October 27, 2016   

PHOENIX -- Arizona cut the number of uninsured kids by 30 percent between 2013 and 2015, according to a new report by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.

The nation as a whole posted a record - with less than five percent of all children remaining uninsured. Researchers credited the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act for insuring more adults, who then signed their kids up as well. Joan Alker, executive director at the Georgetown center and co-author of the report, said polls show most Americans are not aware of the success of these programs.

"About half of Americans thought the number of uninsured children was actually increasing. Only 28 percent were aware that the number has actually gone down,” Alker said. "So this is a success that we've had as a country, it's not well known and it's something we can all feel good about."

Arizona still has some work to do, however. Here, 8.3 percent of children are without health insurance - which is the third highest rate in the country. Until last month, Arizona was the only state in the nation that didn't allow families to enroll in the Children's Health Insurance Program, which is known as KidsCare in the Grand Canyon State.

The Legislature froze KidsCare in 2010, citing budget constraints, but reinstated it as of September first, according to Siman Quaasim, director of health policy at the Children's Action Alliance. She added that many parents don't realize that their kids are eligible.

"The remaining uninsured children in the nation, only five percent of them are because they're undocumented,” Quaasim said. "The majority of the kids who are uninsured are actually in the KidsCare bracket, and are eligible for insurance."

KidsCare provides insurance for families that make a little too much to qualify for the Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System, also known as Access. KidsCare covers children whose parents make between 133 and 200 percent of the federal poverty level. For help applying for the program, visit CoverAZ.org.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
Trash 2 Trends designers create runway looks from items headed to the landfill. Proceeds from the event fund recycling initiatives, litter prevention and community beautification in Orlando. (Trimmel Gomes)

Environment

play sound

What if your trash could be the key to a more sustainable wardrobe? The group Keep Orlando Beautiful is proving it is possible with its annual "Trash…


Social Issues

play sound

As the Trump administration continues to implement aggressive immigration policies, many Hispanic residents in Florida, a key voting bloc for Trump…

Social Issues

play sound

Cuts to the U.S. education system are expected to create a profound ripple effect on students and staff in Hamtramck's already struggling school …


Bobcats are elusive, native predators known for their sharp senses and solitary nature, typically hunting at dawn or dusk. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Indiana's Natural Resources Commission will decide this week whether to allow bobcat trapping, giving Hoosiers one last chance to weigh in. The …

Environment

play sound

Local leaders in California are slamming the Trump administration's moves to gut dozens of environmental policies on climate change and pollution in l…

PVC pipes are commonly joined by elastomeric sealing connections or solvent cement. These solvent cements can expose workers to hazardous chemicals such as tetrahydrofuran, a carcinogen. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Ohioans are seeing changes in their water infrastructure as cities work to replace lead service lines, a requirement under federal regulations…

Environment

play sound

Clean-energy advocates in Texas are closely monitoring a bill before the Legislature that, if passed, could stop the development and operation of …

Environment

play sound

The Sierra Club is taking the Trump administration to court, joining a slew of legal challenges over the mass firings of federal workers. Sierra …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021