Health insurance coverage, family structure, and well-being of vulnerable American children in the Second Demographic Transition

Child health in the United States is a great concern for many. It is important to study child health, as early as possible, as these ailments in childhood can contribute to lifelong problems (i.e., physical, cognitive, socio-economic, and behavioral). Using the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being data (2005), this research will first evaluate child health and well-being along two broad spectrums: (1) child's health insurance coverage and (2) having a routine place for child's health care. This research will evaluate the extent that family structure or individual-level characteristics predict a child's health and well-being. The Second Demographic Transition theory will inform the research model and provide a platform to discuss policy implications based on the results of the analyses. Results indicate both a child's family structure and parents' demographic characteristics predict child health insurance coverage. Further, both mothers' and fathers' characteristics (e.g., mother's age, mother's age at first birth, mother's race/ethnicity, mother's education, father's age, father's race/ethnicity, and father's education) predict the type of child health insurance coverage. A child's demographic characteristics largely predict having a routine place for child's health care, and the number of adults in the biological mother's home also stands out as a prominent predictor of having a routine place for child's health care. Overall, the child's family structure predominantly predicts the type of health insurance coverage of the child, while the individual-level characteristics of the child predict whether or not a child has a routine place for health care.