County Sees Record Child Insurance Rates

Ninety-two percent of children in Los Angeles County have health insurance coverage, while three-quarters of county households with children live in poverty, according to the Children's ScoreCard report, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Los Angeles County Children's Planning Council releases the report biannually.

The county was divided into eight service planning areas for the report.

The report found that the number of infants born underweight had increased since 2000. African-American children are more likely to be born underweight and have asthma than children of other ethnicities, according to the report.

The report also found that:

• The south service area had the lowest percentage of children with health insurance, while children in the west service area had the highest percentage of insured children;
  
  
• The east service area had the lowest percentage of low birth weights and the lowest infant death rate;
  
  
• Antelope Valley service area had the highest percentage of children with asthma; and
  
  
• The Metro service area had the lowest percent of children exposed to tobacco smoke at home.