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Show General Health Status Health Insurance Coverage Compiled by Lance Jensen and Romel D. Mackelprang Estimates vary for the proportion of the population that do not have health insurance. In large part this reflects differences in definitions and surveys, as revealed in the two estimates reported in Tables 1 & 2. These estimates are for the entire population. Other commonly used estimates show higher rates of uninsured as they do not include the population aged 65 and over, nearly all of whom are insured because of Medicare. Assuring adequate health insurance coverage has been a major political and public health initiative over the past several years in Utah. Persons with health insurance are more likely than persons without health insurance to have regular access to health care. The high cost of insurance continues to be the biggest barrier to those who need it, with over one half of respondents citing that as a reason for lack of coverage. Over 1/3 of employers do not offer health care benefits to employees. Interestingly, 21.5% of respondents claimed they are healthy and do not need the coverage (Table 3), but each year in Utah people are hospitalized for conditions that would have been easier, cheaper, and more effectively treated in outpatient settings. About 6.8% (almost 50,000) of the state's children (under 18) lack coverage. But this number has greatly declined in the last eight years. This may be due, in part, to specific programs targeting children, such as the SCHIP program, which provides insurance for many children in low-income families. Table 1. Estimate Percent of Person of All Ages Lacking Coverage Based Upon Utah Health Status Survey, Ut. Dept. of Health, 1987-2001. Year Utah U.S. Best State 1987 8.1 7.4 3.6 MA 1988 7.4 4.0 4.0 Rl 1989 6.7 4.2 4.2 HI 1990 7.1 3.6 3.6 ND 1991 7.7 4.0 4.0 HI 1992 7.9 3.5 3.5 HI 1993 7.4 5.0 5.0 Wl 1994 7.4 4.8 4.8 ND 1995 7.5 4.2 4.2 Wl 1996 7.6 4.8 4.8 Wl 1997 7.7 4.3 4.3 HI 1998 8.1 5.2 5.2 NE 1999 8.3 4.7 4.7 IA 2000 8.7 3.9 3.9 Rl 2001 8.7 4.7 4.7 IA Table 2. Current Population Survey, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Estimate Percent for Uninsured Persons, All Ages, 1987-2001. Year Utah U.S. 1987 12.4 12.9 1988 11.9 13.4 1989 9.0 13.6 1990 9.0 13.9 1991 13.9 14.1 1992 11.8 15.0 1993 11.3 15.3 1994 11.5 15.2 1995 11.8 15.4 1996 12.0 15.6 1997 13.4 16.1 1998 13.9 16.3 1999 13.2 14.3 2000 13.4 14.0 2001 14.8 14.6 Best State 6.3 6.9 7.3 6.3 7.0 6.1 8.7 8.4 7.3 8.4 7.5 9.0 7.6 6.2 7.5 MA Rl HI ND HI HI Wl ND Wl Wl HI NE IA Rl IA Table 3. Percentage of Persons Lacking Health Insurance by Reason. Reasons for Lack of Coverage Cannot Afford Insurance Employer Does Not Offer Insurance Lost Job Healthy/Don't Need Employed Part-Time Lost Eligibility Insurance Company Refused to Cover 52.10% 33.10% 29.50% 21.50% 14.60% 6.90% 3.60% Note: Respondents could select more than one reason. Sources: Utah 2002: Utah Department of Health, Center for Health Data, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health. [Online] httr heak'h. utah.gov/ibis-ph/ Utah 2002: Utah Department of Health, Office of Health Care Statistics, [Online] k|ti);/Avww;lieidtb,ata[eys/ibisg/. Utah 2003: UT US Best State Estimates, Utah Health Status Survey, Utah Department of Health. Utah's Health: An Annual Review Volume DC |