This brief uses data from the National Health Interview Survey to explore trends in health insurance coverage for children age 5 and under between 1997 and 2015. Previous studies have shown that children’s health insurance coverage is associated with improved access to care and that early childhood offers a critical opportunity to promote long-term health and development. In this analysis, we find a 75 percent decrease in uninsurance for young children since the creation of the Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997, though some subgroups of young children continue to have disproportionately high uninsurance rates. We also find that insured young children have greater access to care and service use, and their families struggle with fewer affordability problems than those of young children who are uninsured.