Annual Insurance Update 2017

Health Insurance in Kansas

2 Min Read

Aug 31, 2017

By

Hina B. Shah, M.P.H.
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The Kansas Health Institute (KHI) has released its Annual Insurance Update, which this year describes insurance coverage in the state during 2015, the second year of full implementation of the insurance expansion provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

In 2015—for the first time—the uninsured rate for all Kansans fell below 10 percent (9.2 percent). Other findings include:

    • More than half (53.3 percent) of all Kansans were covered through employment-based health insurance, and over one quarter (27.4 percent) of Kansans were covered through public health insurance programs like Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
    • More than three in four (76.0 percent) uninsured Kansas adults age 19-64 were working.
    • There was a significant decrease in the uninsured rate for White, non-Hispanic Kansans (6.3 percent in 2015 compared to 7.9 percent in 2014). However, uninsured rates for Kansans belonging to a racial or ethnic minority group did not change significantly and those Kansans continue to have higher uninsured rates than White, non-Hispanics.
    • A significantly lower proportion of Kansas children were enrolled in public coverage such as Medicaid or CHIP in 2015 compared to 2014 (29.9 percent and 32.4 percent, respectively).

See the infographic in the report for a clear description of the 263,975 Kansans who were uninsured in 2015.

This Annual Insurance Update 2017  is primarily based on data from the latest American Community Survey (ACS) gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau for 2015. New data on insurance coverage in 2016 will be released by the U.S. Census Bureau soon. Stay tuned for KHI analysis of these data as they are released.

Access this publication in the Documents & Downloads section.

About Kansas Health Institute

The Kansas Health Institute supports effective policymaking through nonpartisan research, education and engagement. KHI believes evidence-based information, objective analysis and civil dialogue enable policy leaders to be champions for a healthier Kansas. Established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, KHI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization based in Topeka.

Learn More About KHI