Adults formerly in foster care are less likely to have private insurance

Adults who were in foster care as children are less likely to be on private insurance compared to those who had never been in foster care, according to new CDC data. Previous research has linked being in foster care to adverse health outcomes later in life, but the new report is among a few to compare health and other characteristics in adults formerly in foster care to those who have never been. Only 35% of men and 27% of women previously in foster care reported being on private insurance. In contrast, around 62% of men and women who had never been in foster care were on private insurance. Those in foster care were between two to three times more likely to be on Medicaid than those never in foster care, although both groups were more likely to be uninsured than to be on some form of public insurance.