What the census could mean to your child’s health

You probably know that in the United States, a census is conducted every 10 years to count each person living in the country, including citizens, legal residents, long-term visitors and undocumented immigrants.

But you may not know how important the census is for children’s health care.

Census data helps determine how much funding vital state programs get, including Medicaid, housing and food assistance, WIC, Head Start, foster care funding, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The consequences of underfunding these programs could affect a child for nearly their entire childhood.

It is also important to know that because the census is so critical, it is kept confidential. Even the FBI cannot access the results for 72 years. Still, kids are among the groups at the greatest risk of being undercounted.

In the 2010 census, it was estimated that about two million children were not counted, including about five to 10 percent of children under the age of five. This could be in part because people are confused about whether to include them, or which household to count them in. If, for example, they share time between parents, they should be counted in the household where they spend most of their time. Also, some kids live in hard to count areas, from rural areas to high-rises. College students may also be unsure where to be counted, so they are another high-risk group.

Why is an accurate count important? The U.S. uses the census to determine all kinds of things, including where federal dollars are distributed. It does more than just count everyone; it also helps establish the demographics of the population, such as age, location and income. This information is used to decided where funds are needed based on the needs of the local and state population. For example, the needs of the community in Milwaukee are not the same as the needs of the population in rural Adams County, and the census helps allocate resources fairly.

In Illinois, a one percent undercount of the population could mean a billion dollars less in federal funding over the next decade. For every child who is undercounted, it is estimated that the state will lose about $1,000 in funding per year for that child. Undercounts affect the states’ abilities to meet children’s health needs: if kids aren’t counted, the community is giving away the funds for education, health care and other services they need to help them grow up and reach their potential.

Everyone should receive a census mailing by April 1, 2020. It takes less than 10 minutes to fill out via mail or online and is completely confidential. Learn more about the U.S. Census here.

Dr. Deanna Behrens is a pediatric critical care physician with Advocate Children’s Hospital in Illinois. She is the chair of the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Social Determinant of Health committee, and the head of the legislative and policy committee for ICAN 4 Kids, the state-wide Illinois residency advocacy program.