This report details the impact of the changing health environment on children's health and access to health care in New York state. The report links key measures of child health with recent policy changes, such as expansions in health insurance coverage, Medicaid managed care, and welfare reform. Data from 1997 are used as a baseline measure for future efforts to track the impact of public policy on child health. The report contains state and national data for indicators of child health in four areas: (1) economics, including poverty rates and public assistance receipt; (2) insurance status, including Medicaid and state health insurance program enrollment; (3) access and use of medical care services such as prenatal care and immunizations; and (4) health and behavioral indicators, including asthma hospitalizations, binge drinking, smoking, and infant mortality rates. Highlights are provided for some indicators comparing county, New York City, and state data. Included is the Web address for a Web-based component providing county and regional comparisons for selected indicators. (KB)