You asked for a breakdown of Connecticut’s uninsured population, i. e. residents without health care coverage.

SUMMARY

Of Connecticut’s 2,917,000 non-elderly individuals (i. e. , under age 65), approximately 12% (355,000) are uninsured, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation based on data from the federal Current Population Survey. Of these, 20% (75,000) are children under age 19 and 80% (280,000) are non-elderly adults age 19 through 64. Of the uninsured non-elderly adults, 45% (127,000) are women and 55% (153,000) are men. Of all non-elderly uninsured, 58% (208,000) are low-income, meaning less than 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL), and 42% (147,000) are at 200% or more of FPL. Connecticut’s non-elderly uninsured individuals are from families with (a) at least one full-time worker (66% or 235,000), (b) part-time workers (14% or 50,000), and (c) no workers (20% or 70,000). By ethnicity, 60% (212,000) of Connecticut’s non-elderly uninsured individuals are White, 20% (70,000) are Hispanic, and 16% (56,000) are Black.

Eighty-six percent of businesses in Connecticut have 20 or fewer employees and more than half have five or fewer, according to the Connecticut Office of Health Care Access. Most of these small employers offer coverage to their employees, but 39% do not.

THE UNINSURED

Approximately two thirds of Americans under age 65 receive health care coverage through an employer, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (Kaiser), a non-profit foundation focusing on major health care issues facing the nation. Medicare covers people age 65 and older. The uninsured are generally those who do not: a) qualify for Medicare; b) receive coverage through an employer plan; c) have individual private insurance; or d) qualify for state assistance, such as Medicaid.

Being uninsured “compromises the health and financial well-being of individuals and families, but leaving so many uninsured also takes a toll on society,” according to Kaiser. An uninsured person is less likely to receive necessary care because of fear of unpaid bills. Also, when an uninsured person receives health care but cannot pay the cost, it places a burden on other public health and medical resources.

Through surveys and the data collected by the federal government, Kaiser has learned that the uninsured in America are predominantly adults from low-income working families (income less than $ 30,000 for a family of three). Those at highest risk of being uninsured are the poor, young adults, those living in southern and western states, and non-citizens (Kaiser Family Foundation, Report #7155, www. kff. org).

HEALTH INSURANCE STATISTICS

Kaiser recently published state-by-state health insurance statistics based on the Current Population Survey (CPS). CPS is a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the United States Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is the most commonly used source of data, for estimating health insurance coverage.

Tables 1 through 8 provide Connecticut data, in comparison to average U. S. data for health insurance coverage of:

Tables 9 through 12 provide the percent of uninsured:

Unless otherwise noted, data is from The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured Health Insurance Coverage in America 2003 Data Update Highlights, published September 27, 2004.

Table 1: Health Insurance Coverage of All Non-Elderly (Age 0–64)

Table 2: Health Insurance Coverage of Children (Age 0–18)

Table 3: Health Insurance Coverage of Non-Elderly Adults

(Age 19–64)

Table 4: Health Insurance Coverage of Non-Elderly Women

(Age 19–64)

*US numbers are based on March 2004 CPS estimates.

Table 5: Health Insurance Coverage of Non-Elderly Men (Age 19–64)

*US numbers are based on March 2004 CPS estimates.

Table 6: Health Insurance Coverage of Low-Income Non-Elderly

(Age 0–64; <200% Federal Poverty Level)

Table 7: Health Insurance Coverage of Low-Income Children

(Age 0–18; <200% Federal Poverty Level)

Table 8: Health Insurance Coverage of Low-Income Non-Elderly Adults (Age 19–64; <200% Federal Poverty Level)

Table 9: Children Uninsured by Federal Poverty Level

Table 10: Non-Elderly Adults Uninsured by Poverty Level

Table 11: Non-Elderly Uninsured by Family Employment Status

Table 12: Non-Elderly Uninsured by Ethnicity

OHCA SMALL EMPLOYER SURVEY RESULTS

Connecticut’s Office of Health Care Access (OHCA) sponsored two telephone surveys conducted by the University of Connecticut Center for Survey Research and Analysis in Spring and Summer 2004 regarding health insurance coverage in Connecticut. The Small Employer Survey of 810 private sector Connecticut businesses with 2 to 300 employees looked at employer-sponsored insurance, including eligibility, enrollment, and premium expense. The Household Survey of over 3,500 Connecticut households researched health care coverage of individuals, access to healthcare, and health care costs.

Eighty-six percent of businesses in Connecticut have 20 or fewer employees and more than half have five or fewer. Most of these small employers offer coverage to their employees, but 39% do not. Eighty percent of employees in firms that offered coverage were eligible for benefits but 74% enrolled.

OHCA found that firm size, annual gross revenue, and the type of business influenced whether employers offered health benefits. Eighty-nine percent of employers with 20 or more employees offered some type of coverage, but only 41% of employers with five or less employees made a similar offer. Firms with less than $ 500,000 in gross annual revenues were much less likely to offer coverage (43%) than firms with $ 500,000 to $ 1 million (73%) or over $ 1 million (84%). Manufacturing, construction, wholesale, and financial services firms were more likely to offer coverage than agriculture, retail, or sanitation firms.

A copy of OHCA’s November 2004 issue brief on the Small Employer Insurance Survey is enclosed and is available online at http: //www. ct. gov/ohca/lib/ohca/publications/2004_employer_survey_brief11-1_with_banner. pdf.

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