Health Insurance Coverage

Why does it matter?

Health insurance is an agreement you make with an insurer to have them pay for some or all of your medical expenses in exchange for a premium. Having health insurance can keep you from incurring medical bills you can't afford to pay out of pocket.

Insured: The percent of the population that has active health insurance.

Uninsured: The percent of the population without health insurance coverage.

Insurance coverage is set up by a payer, not your healthcare provider. Depending on your coverage you may have some out-of-pocket cost. Our community would be better if everyone had health insurance but unfortunately everyone does not. Going without health care often ends in the emergency room where the patient faces extreme monetary burden. In some cases, those costs are paid for by the community. Ensuring health coverage for all people is economically in everyone’s interest. When everyone is thriving, the health and well-being of the community rises

Where are we now?

In the data, the dashboard shows the number of people in our community with and without health insurance. From 2015 to 2021 the percent of the population that was insured has decreased slowly in both counties and subsequentially the percent of the population uninsured increased.. The data changes every year because of fluctuations in the cost of health insurance and public awareness of enrollment.

How do we measure it?

Health insurance coverage is measured as the percent of the civilian noninstitutionalized population that is either insured or uninsured. These can be employed or unemployed individuals.

What call to action is linked to this indicator?

The population has experienced a decline in the number of people who are insured over the past few years, though the percent of population with insurance is still close to 90 percent. A possible call to action could consist of insurance organizations attending public events where they have the opportunity to inform members of the public about different coverage plans. Assistance with copays and addressing racial inequities in coverage are actions that will close the health insurance gap.