ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - State officials are celebrating a marked drop in the number of uninsured Minnesota children after the federal health overhaul.

University of Minnesota researchers released a report Thursday showing the percentage of kids without health insurance fell from 6.3 percent in 2013 to 3.5 percent in 2014. An estimated 38,000 children gained health insurance after President Barack Obama's health care law took effect.

That puts Minnesota among states with the lowest uninsured rates for kids under 18 in the nation. Gov. Mark Dayton calls it fantastic news and proof that the health care law is working in Minnesota.

A previous report from the university's State Health Access Data Assistance Center estimated the state's overall uninsured rate dropped from 8 percent to 5 percent.

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