02.22.12 The number of uninsured children in Louisiana continued to decline while the number of adults without insurance rose over the past two years, according to a new LSU report released Tuesday.

The 2011 Louisiana Health Insurance Survey found 16,190 fewer uninsured children than in 2009 — bringing the percentage of uninsured children down to 3.5 percent statewide.

State health officials have aggressively pushed enrollment in Medicaid-LaCHIP, the government health insurance covering children in low-to-moderate-income households.

“The headline story — that the number of uninsured children has declined even in the face of a weakening economy — is remarkable and a testament to the outreach efforts of (the state) Medicaid/LaCHIP office,” said Kirby Goidel, director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab.