Survey finds jump in Nevada kindergartners with health insurance

Increases in Medicaid enrollment have led to a big jump in the number of Nevada kindergartners covered by health insurance, according to an annual health survey conducted by researchers at UNLV.

The Kindergarten Health Survey — carried out by UNLV's Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy — found that the percentage of uninsured children dipped by nearly 40 percent this year compared with 2014, bringing the number of children with health insurance up to 92 percent.

Researchers compared data from parents representing about 32,000 kindergarten students across the state's 17 school districts, surveying families with questions ranging from breastfeeding to TV watching habits to household income. The annual report helps identify trends that can be used by educators and state officials to guide policy and program development.

This year's findings bring welcome news to Nevada, where the number of uninsured children under 18 is typically double the U.S. average. NICRP researches attributed the change primarily to increases in Medicaid enrollment.

The study also found that only about 21 percent of respondents — down from roughly 25 percent last year — said they had encountered one or more barriers, such as lack of transportation or money, to accessing physical or mental health services. Meanwhile, routine doctor and dentist wellness checks were up about 1 percent.

"The healthier kids are, the fewer days they miss from school and the better they are able to concentrate in class," NICRP researcher Amanda Haboush-Deloye said in a prepared statement from the university. "If children are healthy, mentally and physically, they are better able to focus on learning in the classroom."

Contact Ana Ley at aley@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512. Find her on Twitter @la__ley.