Data released from U.S. Census Bureau show that there has been a decline over this decade in the number of Connecticut residents with employer-sponsored health insurance. Based on a comparison of two-year average rates, there was a statistically significant decline in the percentage of people under age 65 in Connecticut who had employer-sponsored health coverage over this decade, dropping from 77.1% in 2000-2001 to 71.0% in 2007-2008.
At the same time, there has been no statistically significant change in the number of uninsured Connecticut residents in recent years. Census data from the Current Population Survey reveal that an estimated 10.0% (343,000) of all Connecticut residents in 2008 were without health insurance for the entire year. Among Connecticut children under age 18, 5.4% (44,000) lacked insurance for the entire year. The relative stability in the uninsured rate may be attributed in part to the success of the state’s HUSKY health insurance program in enrolling uninsured children and families. However, increased unemployment in Connecticut in 2009 means that the state’s uninsured rate will likely increase.
