The latest analysis of the 2024 Tennessee Child Health Poll shows that the percentage of children in Tennessee who are uninsured is unchanged from the 2023 poll, and the percentage of Tennessee children with a mental health diagnosis and related concerns remains unchanged from the 2023 poll. It turns out that the percentage of people who do have this attitude is still high.
An annual poll conducted by the Vanderbilt Children's Health Policy Center found that 4.5% of Tennessee children lack health insurance, a steady decline from a peak of 9% in 2020. Ta.
At the end of 2023, when the poll was conducted, about 41% of parents said they had insurance through TennCare, Tennessee's Medicaid program, down from 46% in 2022. Children covered by employer-based or private insurance increased from 51% to 54%. % of 2023-2024 polls.
“Tennessee has made great strides in returning to its relatively low pre-pandemic uninsured child rate. The state has restarted the process of evaluating who is eligible for TennCare, but the 2023 TennCare for Children Most of the decline appears to be due to the switch to private insurance,” said Joe Zikafoos, MD, MPH, a pediatrician and researcher at Monroe College. Member of Vanderbilt's Carell Jr. Children's Hospital and Center.
In 2022, Congress repealed a federal requirement enacted during the pandemic that required states to continue enrolling Medicaid participants during the public health emergency. In the spring of 2023, states began re-determining eligibility after continuing enrollment requirements ended.
“This poll, about halfway through the first year of the TennCare redetermination process, asks whether we will continue to see a shift of children to other sources of insurance in 2024, or whether there will be more children uninsured. We don't know yet,” Zikafoos said. “TennCare has made great efforts to maintain enrollment of eligible people, but tens of thousands of people still have their enrollment canceled every month due to administrative issues.”
mental health
The study found that nearly one in three Tennessee children has a mental health diagnosis, with 17% diagnosed with anxiety and 10% diagnosed with depression. Rates of anxiety and depression have steadily increased since the center began polling five years ago.
Yet, while mental health diagnoses are becoming increasingly common, access to mental health treatment remains a challenge for Tennessee children. Overall, only 55% of children with a mental health diagnosis report receiving treatment services, and less than half of children diagnosed with anxiety (47%) or depression (39%) was receiving treatment.
“Parents in Tennessee continue to highlight their children’s mental health as a top concern. Nearly one-third of children are reported to have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. However, more than half of these children do not receive treatment. Untreated conditions are a major concern for both families and professionals, and Tennessee compares favorably with other states on parity and access measures. “More needs to be done to address these gaps,” said Heather Kress, a clinical child psychologist at Monroe Carell and a member of the center. said the Psychology Ph.D.
overall child well-being
Each year, the poll asks parents to rate their child's overall health. The proportion of parents who rate their children's health as very good or excellent is decreasing. In 2019, 87% of Tennessee parents rated their child's health as “very good” or “excellent,” compared to 82% this year.
The poll is conducted annually and covers a wide range of issues, including education and schooling, behavioral health, and food security. This research was funded in part by a grant from the Bodecker Foundation.
