The number of Connecticut residents who lack health insurance has increased in recent years, as fewer workers have been able to obtain health insurance through their employers over the last decade, according to new Census data.
The number of Connecticut residents who lack health insurance has increased in recent years, as fewer workers have been able to obtain health insurance through their employers over the last decade, according to new Census data. Data from the Current Population Survey reveal that there was a decline in the number of working-age Connecticut residents with health insurance over recent years. Based on a comparison of two-year average rates, there was a statistically significant increase in the percentage of people under age 65 who were without health insurance for the entire year, rising from 10.3% in 2007-2008 to 12.5% in 2009-2010. There was no statistically significant change in the percentage of Connecticut children who were uninsured in Connecticut over recent years. (Despite an increase in the estimate of uninsured children, this change was not statistically significant.)
The Census data indicate that an estimated 12.3% (374,000) of all Connecticut residents under age 65 in 2010 were without health insurance for the entire previous year. Among Connecticut children under age 18, 6.0% (49,000) lacked insurance for the entire year.
There was also a statistically significant decline in the percentage of people under age 65 in Connecticut who had employment-based health coverage over this decade, dropping from 78.6% in 1999-2000 to 70.8% in 2009-2010. There was a similar significant decrease in children who were covered by employment-based insurance — from 77.2% in 1999-2000 to 69.6% in 2009-2010.
Connecticut Voices for Children, encourages Connecticut's Congressional delegation to avoid federal budget cuts that could further increase the numbers of residents without health insurance. (September 2011)
