Definition: Estimated percentage of children ages 0-17 with special health care needs (CSHCN) whose families had and did not have out-of-pocket expenses related to the child's health in the previous 12 months, by amount paid (e.g., in 2024, 63.9% of California CSHCN had less than $500 in out-of-pocket health expenses in the previous year).
Data Source: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, National Survey of Children's Health (Nov. 2025).
Footnote: Out-of-pocket expenses cover medical, health, dental, and vision care. Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) have or are at increased risk for a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional condition and require health and related services of a type or amount beyond that required by children generally. These estimates are based on a survey of the population and are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. For more information, see https://www.childhealthdata.org/learn-about-the-nsch/NSCH.
