Health Insurance - Oklahoma climbs to No. 2 in nation in percentage of population without health insurance
Oklahoma
climbed to No. 2 in nation in the percentage of residents without
health insurance coverage, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau
estimates.
An
estimated 14.2 percent of the state population did not have health
insurance in 2017, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau’s
American Community Survey.
Alaska,
which had held the No. 2 spot, saw a decline in the percentage of
uninsured from 14 percent in 2016 to 13.7 percent the following year.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s percentage increased from 13.8 percent in 2016.
The
margin of error for the Oklahoma uninsured rate is plus or minus 0.3
percent, meaning the 2017 rate could be between 13.9 percent and 14.5
percent.
Texas remains No. 1 in the nation in uninsured rate with 17.3 percent of the state population without health insurance.
David
Blatt, executive director of the nonpartisan Oklahoma Policy Institute,
said one should always consider margin of error when evaluating data.
“But
even if Oklahoma ends up with the third- or fourth-highest uninsured
rate accounting for the margin of error, we are still among the states
doing the worst job of providing health insurance for our citizens,”
Blatt said.
The result is it “leaves far too many Oklahomans unable to see a doctor or get needed medication.”
Blatt
attributed the high ranking to “our continued refusal to bring home our
federal dollars to expand Medicaid coverage for working-age adults.”
Oklahoma is one of 19 states that have not expanded Medicaid coverage for its population.
In
2012, Gov. Mary Fallin, like many Republican state leaders, rejected
expanding Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Fallin
cited the financial burden to the state among other reasons for opting
out of the program, while others said it would save the state money in
the long run.
Nationwide, the uninsured rate was 8.7 percent in 2017, compared to 8.6 in 2016.
In
states that expanded Medicaid eligibility, the uninsured rate in 2017
was 6.5 percent, compared with 12.2 percent in states that did not
expand Medicaid eligibility, according to a Census Bureau report.
Highest, lowest uninsured rate states
Top uninsured rate states, 2017
| State | percentage uninsured |
| Texas | 17.3 |
| Oklahoma | 14.2 |
| Alaska | 13.7 |
| Georgia | 13.4 |
| Florida | 12.9 |
Top insured rate states
| State | percent uninsured |
| Massachusetts | 2.8 |
| District of Columbia | 3.8 |
| Hawaii | 3.8 |
| Minnesota | 4.4 |
| Rhode Island/Vermont | 4.6 |
source : https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/health/oklahoma-climbs-to-no-in-percentage-of-population-without-health/article_1ec05700-0711-5a0e-babd-0437e0b13a9c.html