No Change in Kansas Uninsured Rate

But rate of uninsured children climbing

3 Min Read

Sep 18, 2009

By

Kansas Health Institute

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New Information from the US Percent Uninsured Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey

    • In 2007-2008, 12.4 percent of Kansans were 14 uninsured, not statistically different from either the 12.5 percent who were uninsured in 2006-2007 or 12 the 11.3 percent in 2005-2006, but greater than the 10.5 percent who were uninsured in 2004-2005.
    • The percentage of Kansas children (under 19) without health insurance in 2007-2008 was approximately 9.6 percent, up from 7.8 percent in 2006-2007 and from 7 percent in 2005-2006.
    • The percentage of Kansans without health insurance in 2007-2008, 12.4 percent, is lower than the national percentage which stands at 15.3 percent.
    • Approximately 338,000 Kansans were without health insurance in 2007-2008.
    • Based on 2006-2008 three-year averages, the Kansas uninsured rate was higher than 13 other states, and lower than 26 other states. It was lower than the rates in either Oklahoma or Colorado but was not statistically different than rates in either Missouri or Nebraska.
    • The percentage of Kansans covered by private health insurance dropped to 72.3 percent in 2007-2008 from 76.0 percent in 2005-2006.
    • Although the percentage of Hispanics in the U.S. without health insurance dropped from 33.1 percent in 2006-2007 to 31.4 percent in 2007-2008, there was not a statistically significant change in the percentage of Hispanics in Kansas without health insurance.
Bar chart showing the percent uninsured in Kansas and US

About the Data

    • The Census Bureau intends the Current Population Survey (CPS), which has been used to produce annual estimates of health insurance coverage since 1980, to measure the number of people who were uninsured for an entire preceding calendar year. However, many analysts believe that, for at least some states, the CPS estimate is closer to a point-in-time measure, indicating the average number of uninsured on any given day in the preceding calendar year.
    • In late September, the Census Bureau will release a new source of data for point-in-time health insurance coverage estimates, the American Community Survey (ACS). The first year of data will cover calendar year 2008. While the ACS has a larger sample size than CPS and may become one of the principal sources of data about the number of uninsured, there is no ACS health insurance data prior to 2008. Thus, CPS remains the principal source of data for understanding trends of uninsurance from 1980-2008.

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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.

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