Uninsured

Indicator Definition 
Adults (ages 18–64 years) are considered uninsured if they did not have a public or private source of health care coverage for the entire past calendar year.

Adults without health insurance in Colorado6

Adults without health insurance by income in Colorado7

Indicator Significance
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, the number of uninsured working-age adults in the United States has grown from 30 million in 1999 to 38 million in 2008.¹ Today, roughly one in five working-age Americans is uninsured. Nearly three-quarters of the uninsured are employed, with more than half holding full-time jobs. Research shows that adults without health insurance are less likely to seek medical care when needed. The growing number of uninsured adults has attracted national attention, drawing proposals for reform from state and national policymakers.²

Colorado Specifics
Colorado has consistently ranked in the lower half of states with regard to insurance coverage for working-age adults. Of the 789,000 uninsured Coloradans, 631,000 are of working age (18–64 years).³ While uninsurance rates are higher for low-income adults, most uninsured adults are employed, many with full-time, year-round jobs. Uninsurance rates are higher for younger working-age adults and ethnic minorities.

Promising Initiatives
Access Health is a coverage program developed by the Muskegon Community Health Project in Michigan. It is a successful community-based approach to expanding health care coverage to uninsured workers that is based on a “three share” funding model between employers, employees and the community wherein each contributes roughly 30 percent toward cost of coverage. Workers only qualify if they are low income, uninsured and live and work in Muskegon County. Likewise, businesses qualify only if they are located in the county and have not provided health benefits for the past 12 months. Over 526 local businesses have participated in Access Health since the program began in 1999 and over 1,500 previously uninsured workers have received coverage.⁴

Health Access Pueblo (HAP), implemented in 2008, is modeled after Access Health through a partnership between Parkview Medical Center, St. Mary Corwin Medical Center, Pueblo Community Health Center, Pueblo County, participating health care providers and local businesses. HAP contracts with 200 local physicians and covers only workers in Pueblo. With a monthly premium of $120 per qualified employee, HAP is not insurance but rather a local
coverage initiative. Enrollees have access to hospitalization benefits and no-cost or low-cost preventive care, diagnostic services and wellness counseling.⁵

Adults without health insurance⁸

Text

1. Population estimates from the Current Population Survey (2008) and refer to adults ages 18 to 64 years.
   
2. Commonwealth Fund. “Census Data on Growing Number of Uninsured Make Clear: National Health Care Strategy Is Needed”; August 28, 2007.
   
3. Population estimates from the Current Population Survey (2006–2008) and refer to adults ages 18 to 64 years.
   
4. Muskegon Community Health Project.
   
5. Health Access Pueblo.
   

Charts

6. Source: Colorado Health Institute analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, 2000–2008.
   
7. Source: Colorado Health Institute analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, 2006–2008.
   
8. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2006–2008.