Mass Leads Country With Lowest Uninsured Rate
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Massachusetts has lead the country since 2008 when it comes to widespread subscription to health insurance.
This year's Gallup findings put the Commonwealth well below the national average, where 17.2 percent of Americans lacked health insurance.
Fellow New Englanders in Vermont were not far behind Massachusetts, with an uninsured rate of just 6.7 percent of residents in the Green Mountain State.
Connecticut came in fourth in terms of uninsured residents at just under 10 percent.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, more than one in four Texas residents (25.5 percent) lack health insurance.
Nevada was home to the second most uninsured residents at an even 25 percent.
The findings, based on a survey of 177,000 American adults between January and June of this year, were relatively unchanged from results collected in 2011.
While the national percentage of uninsured Americans has remained stable at just over 17 percent, observers expect that number to decrease throughout 2013 and 2014 as states move to comply with new provisions of the Affordable Care Act as they roll out over the next two years.
Massachusetts Leading in Health Care Reform
The Massachusetts health care insurance reform of 2006, also known as "Romneycare," has helped drive down the state's uninsured rate and keep it low by offering new healthcare insurance options for low-income families and instituting a tax penalty for residents who fail to sign up for coverage.
Worcester's own Fallon Community Health Plan (FCHP), which offers health insurance products and services ranging from commercial to all-inclusive elder care, has done its fair share, covering 208,366 individuals throughout the state.
"We're proud of the role we have continued to play in working in partnership with stakeholders to ensure all Massachusetts residents have access to high-quality, affordable care and coverage," said Christine Cassidy, vice president for corporate communications at FCHP.
Not All Rosy for Health Insurers and Patients
Meanwhile, earnings for Massachusetts health insurers have plummeted, dropping by 50 percent or more at the state's top four providers, even as subscriber numbers have continued to rise across the board.
While a greater percentage of Mass residents are covered by health insurance than in any other state, just having the coverage itself is no guarantee of prompt care.
A recent informal survey performed by GoLocal found that new patients in Worcester face a wait of two to six weeks for a routine physical appointment with a primary care doctor, if they can schedule an appointment at all.
Related Articles
- Earnings Plummet for Mass Health Insurers
- New Patients Face Long Waits for Primary Care in Worcester
- Fallon Community Health Plan Accepting Grant Applications
- MA Ranked Top 5 in US for Healthcare
- NEW: Mass. First to Create Statewide Health Information Database
- NEW: Worcester Launches New Health Initiative
- NEW: Local Health Care Organizations Team Up to Put Patients First
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Comments:
Iron Mike Farquhar
10:16am on Saturday, August 25, 2012
Hardly a statistic to cheer about since it is being done by force.
Harvey Beehive
10:38am on Saturday, August 25, 2012
Iron Mike...exactly!
Edward Saucier
3:45pm on Saturday, August 25, 2012
The first two comments prove my point that republicans aren't as smart as democrats. First they don't want to pay for the healthcare of people without coverage, so when that is changed by a democratic congress, they say its no good because they are being forced to do it, when before they wanted the government to force those without healthcare to get it or go without. All that while a republican gets credit for the bill they call "RomneyCare." Talk about biting off your nose to spite your face.
Of course there are exceptions to every rule and if those above two could do their own income taxes they would have seen those exceptions on Mass. Form HC which must be filed with everyone's Mass. State Income Tax form. Republican are so full of hate and so empty of brain power they run around like a herd of little blind mice until one day when they will get their heads cut off by the same people they voted for.
Harvey Beehive
9:28pm on Saturday, August 25, 2012
Saucier...you are correct. Republicans are not as smart as democrats. They're much smarter.
Iron Mike Farquhar
11:35pm on Saturday, August 25, 2012
Mister Saucier, please study your history before you rant.
It was the Democratic Party which fought in Congress for 'States Rights' [aka slavery], then started the Civil War.
After the Civil War Democrats passed Jim Crow laws, had separate drinking fountains, restrooms and made Blacks ride in the back of the bus, started the KKK, lynched thousands of Blacks across the South, started the Dixiecrat Party, stood in schoolhouse doors with axe handles and baseball bats, burned buses, turned dogs loose on Civil Rights Marchers.
It was Democrats who started the problems in South Boston which caused the governor to call out the National Guard to get kids safely to school.
It is the Democratic Party which has kept Blacks and Hispanics in virtual bondage through substandard education in union-infested school systems and welfare dependency.
It is the socialist policies and economic failures of Barack Obama which has doubled Black unemployment in under 4 years – to over 16% - 40% for Blacks under the age of 30.
As a Democrat sir – you have very little to be proud of.
Harvey Beehive
9:17am on Sunday, August 26, 2012
Iron Mike is my idol! Well written Mike...