A University of Minnesota study found children of same-sex parents are less likely to have private health insurance than children of married heterosexual parents, news sources report.

The disparity is less in states where same-sex unions are legally recognized, HealthDay News reported.

The study found that about 63 percent of children with two fathers and about 68 percent of children with two mothers had private health insurance, MinnPost reported.

In contrast, about 78 percent of children with married heterosexual parents had private insurance, according to HealthDay.

Gilbert Gonzales, the lead researcher, told MinnPost that "for kids, studies are consistently finding that health insurance does improve health. So these policy barriers in states without same-sex marriage shows that passing these laws is a pathway to expanding health insurance, and in turn, improving the health and well-being of these kids."

While more than half of the U.S. population gets health insurance through employers, about 30 percent of employers provide health insurance to gay or lesbian couples and their children, MinnPost said.

The study, authored by Gonzales and Lynn Blewett, was published Sept. 16 in the journal Pediatrics.