RALEIGH -- The 2013 North Carolina Child Health Report Card, issued by Action for Children NC and the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, finds the number of uninsured children has declined 30 percent in the past five years to 8.4% in 2012.

Laila Bell is director of research and data at Action for Children North Carolina, and she says, "We're seeing that more children now have access to medical care. Which is important, because we know that insured children are more likely to access preventative care, seek medical attention when they need it, and they're less likely to rely on costly emergency room visits."

This year's report does not yet capture the effects of budget cuts to programs that promote healthy growth and development, or the impact of the Affordable Care Act.