Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

CT uninsured rate among lowest in the country, report says

  • Health
  • by Arielle Levin Becker
  • February 16, 2017
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

National Health Interview Survey

Uninsured rates by state

Connecticut had one of the lowest rates of uninsured residents in the country last year, according to estimates from a federal survey released this week.

The estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, released by the National Center for Health Statistics, pegged Connecticut’s uninsured rate at 3.5 percent – but the authors warned that that figure should be used with caution because the potential for error “does not meet standards of reliability or precision.”

There was more confidence in the estimate of Connecticut adults under 65 who lacked insurance at the time of the interview: 5.8 percent.

The report did not include the rate of uninsured children because the figure was not considered reliable.

The estimates were based on interviews conducted from January through September 2016. There were 73,223 people included in the sample. The uninsured rates were based on whether people had insurance at the time they were interviewed, which generally leads to lower uninsured rates than the number of people who lacked coverage at any point during the year.

The 2015 survey found an uninsured rate of 4.9 percent in Connecticut. Census figures for the same year estimated that the state’s uninsured rate at 6 percent.

In the estimates released this week, the uninsured rate by state ranged from 18 percent in Texas to 2.3 percent in Hawaii, although that state’s estimate came with the same caveat as Connecticut’s. Massachusetts – also subject to the same disclaimer – had a 3.1 percent uninsured rate, while Rhode Island’s was 3.6 percent. New York’s rate was 5.4 percent, while New Jersey’s was 8.2 percent. Those figures are for people of all ages, and were based on insurance status at the time of the interview.

Overall, the survey found, 8.8 percent of people in the U.S. were uninsured at the time of the interview, a 0.3 percent drop from 2015.

National Health Interview Survey

The uninsured rate by race and ethnicity.

The authors noted that from 1997 through 2013, the percentage of adults aged 18 to 64 who lacked health insurance at the time of the interview generally rose from year to year. By contrast, the uninsured rate among adults under 64 fell from 20.4 percent to 12.3 percent between 2013 and the first nine months of 2016. That reflects the period after the major coverage provisions of Obamacare took effect, including the availability of federal subsidies to discount insurance premiums for many who bought coverage on their own, and expanded Medicaid eligibility.

Nationally, the uninsured rate for adults under 65 remained highest among Hispanics, at 24.6 percent. Still, that reflected a big drop since 2013, when the uninsured rate among Hispanics topped 40 percent. Between 2015 and 2016, the uninsured rate among Hispanics dropped; among other groups, the rate did not change by a statistically significant amount. In 2016, the uninsured rate was 15.1 percent among blacks, 8.5 percent among whites, and 7.8 percent among Asians.

The survey also found continued growth in the use of high-deductible health plans; 39.1 percent of people under 65 were enrolled in one during the first nine months of 2016, compared to 25.3 percent in 2010. Fewer than half of those with high-deductible plans had health savings accounts, which allow people to save money for health care expenses on a tax-advantaged basis, although the use of those accounts has also grown, from 7.7 percent in 2010 to 15.2 percent in 2016.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Arielle Levin Becker Arielle Levin Becker covers health care for The Connecticut Mirror. She previously worked for The Hartford Courant, most recently as its health reporter, and has also covered small towns, courts and education in Connecticut and New Jersey. She was a finalist in 2009 for the prestigious Livingston Award for Young Journalists and a recipient of a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship and the National Health Journalism Fellowship. She is a graduate of Yale University.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Bill that would eliminate CT’s religious exemption from mandatory vaccines clears House
by Jenna Carlesso

The measure passed by a vote of 90 to 53 after 16 hours of debate.

Connecticut’s COVID restrictions to end on May 19
by Mark Pazniokas

Connecticut will end its COVID-19 restrictions in two steps: May 1 for outdoor activities and May 19 for everything else.

Biden moves to overturn Trump birth control rules
by Julie Rovner | Kaiser Health News

The Biden administration has formally proposed the repeal of Trump-era regulations barring abortion referrals.

New Britain residents weren’t getting vaccinated. So city officials got creative.
by Dave Altimari

The city's efforts are a microcosm of what is happening across the country as officials struggle to vaccinate vulnerable residents.

Can independent primary care doctors survive dominance of hospital health systems?
by Peggy McCarthy | C-HIT.ORG

hospital systems and private businesses are increasingly buying private medical practices and taking over their business operations.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion From UHart faculty: All Hawks deserve our support
by Amanda Freeman, Katharine Owens and Rachel Walker

Last week college sports fans in Connecticut were roiled by some startling news. The University of Hartford has been privately considering a move from NCAA Division I to Division III. Grappling with the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University commissioned a “feasibility study” from the consulting company CarrSports. The confidential report concluded that the “current Division I-funding model is not viable and cannot achieve the goal of becoming more self-sustaining.”

Opinion Lessons learned: Education is not enough to combat anti-vaccine propaganda
by Kerri M. Raissian and Jody Terranova

The Connecticut House of Representatives just passed legislation to end the religious exemption for the school vaccination requirement ( HB6423).  The Connecticut state Senate must act quickly to do the same.  If passed, Connecticut would require medically able school children to receive vaccines as recommended by the CDC.

Opinion Biden ought not overuse the term ‘infrastructure’
by Eric W. Kuhn

President Joe Biden's redefinition of the word "bipartisan" is wise, even necessary. Measures that have majority support among regular folks throughout the country-- say, universal background checks for firearms purchases-- have "bipartisan" support because lots of citizens of both major parties approve: that makes sense.

Opinion Please let restaurants and bars recover from the pandemic. Oppose HB 6502
by Robert D’Eliseo and Don Mancini

For the first time in almost a year, we can see a light at the end of the tunnel of the COVID-19 pandemic. But that does not mean we are out of the tunnel yet – and these coming months will be critical for the recovery. That is why this is not the time for the Connecticut General Assembly to push the polystyrene ban (HB 6502) they seem on track toward passing.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s […]

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is […]

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO