Low-income children make nearly twice as many trips to ER

A study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that lower-income children made almost twice as many visits to hospital emergency departments than higher-income children in 2005 (Source: “Pediatric Emergency Department Visits in Community Hospitals from Selected States, 2005,” Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Agency for Health Care Research and Quality,  May 2008).

According to AHRQ's analysis, the rate of emergency room visits for children in families with a household income of less than $36,999 was 414 for every 1,000 children. By contrast, there were 223 visits for every 1,000 children from families with an annual household income greater than $61,000.