Health insurance programs subsidized by taxpayer dollars are a significant source of health insurance coverage for children in the United States. The National Health Interview Survey (2022) estimated that almost 44% of U.S. children ages 0 to 17 had health insurance coverage supported by taxpayer dollars.  While such publicly-supported coverage includes some children insured through military health plans, Medicare, and other government-sponsored health programs, the principal sources of public health insurance coverage for children in the U.S. are Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).  Medicaid is a jointly funded federal-state health insurance program for eligible individuals with low incomes, while CHIP is a separate joint federal-state effort to make available health insurance to children from low-income families who do not meet the criteria for Medicaid coverage.  Federal reports indicate that, as of January 2023, there were nearly 41.9 million children enrolled in Medicaid or separate CHIP programs.

That same January 2023 data reveals that the seven-state Great Plains had over 2.4 million children enrolled in either Medicaid or separate CHIP programs.  Of the total Medicaid child and CHIP enrollment reported by the District of Columbia and 49 states in January 2023, the Great Plains regions accounted for about 5.8% of the national total.  Here is a summary look at Medicaid child and CHIP enrollment in the Great Plains region as of January 2023:

Medicaid Child and CHIP Enrollment in the Great Plains Region

Area Name	Enrollment	% of U.S. Total
Iowa	385,555	0.9%
Kansas	337,210	0.8%
Minnesota	639,954	1.5%
Missouri	733,933	1.8%
Nebraska	203,031	0.5%
North Dakota	58,667	0.1%
South Dakota	101,320	0.2%
Region	2,459,670	5.8%
United States (1)	41,859,753	100.0%

(1) National figures are for the 49 states and the District of Columbia that reported child enrollment data for January 2023

Source: Medicaid.gov Enrollment Reports as of January 2023