Wisconsin lagging in improving rate of insured children

MADISON — States across the country are making strides in getting children onto health insurance rolls, but Wisconsin's rate of uninsured children is stagnant.

According to a report the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families released Tuesday, about 4.4 percent, or 58,000, of the state's children were uninsured in 2014. That's lower than the national average of 6.0 percent, but other states have been improving at a much faster rate. Wisconsin dropped from ranking sixth best in the percentage of children with health insurance in 2008 to 16th in 2014.

The report says that's partially because Wisconsin cut Medicaid eligibility for about 60,000 parents in 2014 and lost about 15,500 still-eligible children in the process, likely because parents didn't renew them.