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  • Firearm Deaths of Children and Adolescents Continued to Rise in 2021, Especially Among Black Youth

    News Release

    Gun deaths among children and adolescents continued to rise in 2021, particularly among Black youth, a new KFF analysis of federal injury and mortality data finds. The analysis finds that the rate of firearm-related deaths for children ages 17 and younger reached 3.6 per 100,000 children in 2021, a 50% increase from before the COVID-19 pandemic began. This represents about seven children dying each day due to firearms. The rate of firearm-related deaths among Black…

  • Medicaid Policy Approaches to Facilitating Access to Vaccines for Low-Income Children

    Policy Watch

    Following the recent US Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) authorization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation, children ages 5-11 are now eligible to receive Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine. There may be unique challenges to vaccinating young children, particularly those from low-income families who may face additional barriers to access. State Medicaid programs and Medicaid managed care plans are looking at a range of policy options to facilitate access to vaccines for young,…

  • Analysis Examines How States Can Use Medicaid Programs to Facilitate Access to Vaccines for Low-Income Children

    News Release

    As states expand COVID-19 vaccination efforts to reach newly eligible children ages 5 to 11, a new KFF analysis highlights several tools state Medicaid programs have at their disposal to increase access to, and take up of, vaccines among lower-income children. Among the key findings: States can request Medicaid administrative federal matching funds for state-funded monetary incentives to encourage uptake of the vaccine. In recent months, several states reported activities and incentives within contracted Medicaid…

  • Following an Early Period of High Demand, Vaccination for Children Ages 5-11 Has Significantly Slowed

    News Release

    As of December 5, 16.7% of 5-11 year-olds had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose with 4.3% of children reaching full vaccination, according to a new KFF analysis. After a short period of high demand, the rate of new vaccinations slowed significantly leading into the Thanksgiving holiday and has continued at the slower pace since. Vaccination efforts around the country continue to differ, with more than a 40 percentage point difference between the top…

  • Half of Parents of Adolescents 12-17 Say Their Child Has Gotten a COVID-19 Vaccine, though Uptake Has Slowed; 16% of Parents of 5-11 Year-olds Say Their Child Has Gotten a Vaccine

    News Release

    COVID-19 vaccine uptake among adolescents ages 12-17 has slowed after an initial wave of enthusiasm over the summer, with half (49%) of parents saying their adolescent has received at least one dose, a new KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor report reveals. The share is little changed since earlier in the fall. Just 1% of parents of adolescents now say they will get their adolescent vaccinated as soon as possible, and 13% say they want to wait…

  • Leveraging Medicaid for School-Based Behavioral Health Services: Findings from a Survey of State Medicaid Programs

    Issue Brief

    Concerns about youth mental health and access to care continues to increase. Schools can be an easy access point for behavioral health services and Medicaid provides significant financing for the delivery of these services in schools. In this analysis, we explore the strategies state Medicaid programs are taking to promote and improve access to school-based behavioral health services, and how recent policies call on Medicaid to expand access to care for youth, particularly in schools.

  • Mitigating Childhood Lead Exposure and Disparities: Medicaid and Other Federal Initiatives

    Issue Brief

    Exposure to lead can seriously harm a child’s health, including damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems, and hearing and speech problems. The effects of lead on the nervous system can cause lower IQ, decreased ability to pay attention, and under performance in school.

  • Continuous Eligibility Policies Can Reduce the Number of Children Who Lose Medicaid Despite Still Being Eligible for Coverage

    News Release

    A new KFF analysis finds disenrollment rates were lower in the 12 months leading up to annual renewals for children in states with 12-month continuous eligibility compared with states without the policy. Congress is expected to pass an omnibus spending bill by the end of the year that would require 12-month continuous eligibility for children in all states. The analysis also finds that in states with 12-month continuous eligibility, a smaller share of children disenrolled…

  • Recent Increases in Firearm Deaths of Children and Adolescents Have Been Driven by Gun Assaults, Black Youths Are Disproportionally Affected

    News Release

    A new KFF analysis of provisional 2022 data from the Centers for Disease Control shows that the recent increases in firearm death rates among children and adolescents ages 17 and under were driven largely by gun assaults, which accounted for 66% of firearm deaths among young people in 2022, up from 54% in 2019. Data also show that in 2022, seven children ages 17 and below per day died by firearm, similar to 2021. This…