Children's health insurance coverage up

The number of U.S. children with health insurance rose in 2004 but the percentage of working-age adults with health insurance remained stable, officials said.

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, based on the CDC's National Health Interview Survey, provides estimates of U.S. insurance coverage in 2004.

The improvement in coverage for children reflects an increase in public coverage -- including the State Children's Health Insurance Program for poor and near-poor children -- the report said.

In 2004, more than 90 percent of U.S. children had health insurance at the time they were surveyed -- a steady rise from the first report in 1997.

Overall, 14.6 percent of the U.S. population -- 42.1 million Americans of all ages -- was without current health insurance coverage in 2004, about the same level as in 1997. One in five working-age adults age 18 to 64 were without health insurance in 2004.

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