With school back in session cold and flu germs spread like wildfire.
A doctor visit is often needed for sick kids but if the parents don't have health insurance that treatment is often missed.

But LeAnn Wallace reports health care for kids is obtained more easily than many parents know.

An estimated 1,800 children in Duluth are uninsured. A statistic many area leaders are working hard to cure.

Health officials say uninsured kids miss out on many important check–ups during their formative years.

"These uninsured children tend to be the children we see showing up more in our emergency departments or urgent care settings where they're not known and they're family's abilities or even their medical histories is not known as well."

And its not just health care that suffers...education often takes a hit as well. Statistics show that children without health insurance are 25–percent more likely to be absent from school.

"We want kids to be able to learn in school, to be able to see the blackboard, to be able to hear the teacher, we also want to make sure they don't come to school with communicable diseases."

The state offers various health care programs that will allow kids to get the check–ups and vaccinations they need to be healthy.

Approximately 1,300 children who are currently uninsured in Duluth qualify for some type of health insurance.

Jessica Krowley spends her days talking with families and helping them get health care.

"We do a simple assessment of what their situation is, income, household size, things like that and try to figure out if they qualify for a public healthcare program or not."

Krowley says knowing your health care options is the most important way to keep your kids healthy and in school.

"We've been doing a lot of outreach in the schools, we've done school open houses at 6 different Duluth schools and two in Two Harbors Schools so we're just trying to get out there and make ourselves more well–known as to what services we offer."

In Duluth, LeAnn Wallace, the Northlands News Center.

Even though coverage is available, the northeast region of Minnesota has the highest percentage of uninsured children in the state.

To see if you're eligible for any public programs, contact the health care access office.