Poor children are at greater risk than the general populace of serious health problems such as infant mortality and sexually transmitted diseases. Many AIDS patients depend on Medicaid and have difficulty obtaining adequate care. Some States have laws which enable certain minors to consent to all health care, and the constitutional right to privacy has been applied to the reproductive decisions of adolescents as well as those of adults, but without an adequate source of payment, access to health care is effectively denied. Incarcerated or institutionalized children are more likely to have health problems and less likely to receive adequate care.