Health Insurance Coverage by State and Congressional District, 2010

David Newman
Specialist in Health Care Financing

The total U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population in 2010 was estimated to be slightly more than 304 million. Roughly 84.5% of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population had one or more forms of health insurance, while 15.5%, or roughly 47.2 million, were uninsured. The most common form of insurance was employer provided.

This report employs the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) to describe health insurance coverage and provide estimates of coverage by type of coverage at the national, state, and congressional district level. The ACS survey has a sample of more than 2 million respondents and solicits health insurance coverage information as of the date of the survey. The sample is large enough to provide accurate estimates of coverage at the congressional district level at a point in time. As this report details, there are considerable differences across states, within states, and across demographic groups in the proportion of insured and their sources of coverage.

The insured were more likely to be white or Asian, more educated, higher income, elderly, and female. The uninsured were more likely to be African American or Hispanic, less educated, lower income, non-elderly adult, and male. In general, the uninsured are more likely to report problems getting needed medical care and to be hospitalized for avoidable health problems.


Date of Report: October 20, 2011
Number of Pages: 82
Order Number: R42055
Price: $29.95

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