Health insurance coverage statistics by state (2024)

From Ballotpedia

Jump to:navigation, search

Healthcare statistics
Health insurance coverage • Prescription drug sales • Prison healthcare • Private health insurance • State employee health plans • Total healthcare spending • Medicaid expansion spending • Obamacare impact on premiums • Obamacare exchanges • Spending on Medicaid expansion

This page is outside of Ballotpedia's current coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates. If you would like to help our coverage grow, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.

Citizens in the United States typically receive health insurance from three main sources: private insurance (either through an employer or purchased on their own), Medicare and Medicaid. Some states also offer other public health insurance programs for their residents. The charts on this page break down the percentage of citizens covered by each source of health insurance, the changes in coverage from 2000 to 2012, and the change in the uninsured rate from 2013 to 2014.

Health insurance coverage by source

In general, employers have been the dominant source of health insurance for individuals since the late 1940s and 1950s. This can be at least partially attributed to the income tax exemption granted to employers for payments made toward health insurance for employees. The second major sources of health insurance are the state and federal governments, which jointly provide Medicaid for low-income individuals while the federal government sponsors Medicare for the elderly and disabled.^[1]

Health insurance coverage by source, 2013
State	Employer	Other private	Medicaid	Medicare	Other public	Uninsured
Alabama	43%	5%	17%	18%	N/A	16%
Alaska	48%	6%	14%	9%	7%	16%
Arizona	41%	5%	19%	14%	N/A	19%
Arkansas	39%	7%	18%	19%	N/A	15%
California	45%	7%	19%	12%	2%	15%
Colorado	52%	9%	12%	12%	3%	13%
Connecticut	56%	5%	14%	15%	N/A	9%
Delaware	50%	4%	21%	17%	1%	7%
District of Columbia	46%	9%	24%	12%	N/A	8%
Florida	41%	5%	14%	17%	3%	19%
Georgia	47%	6%	13%	14%	4%	16%
Hawaii	53%	4%	16%	15%	6%	5%
Idaho	50%	9%	12%	13%	1%	14%
Illinois	50%	8%	17%	12%	1%	11%
Indiana	52%	6%	14%	14%	1%	12%
Iowa	54%	7%	14%	14%	1%	9%
Kansas	51%	8%	12%	15%	N/A	10%
Kentucky	47%	4%	17%	16%	3%	13%
Louisiana	43%	7%	20%	15%	N/A	12%
Maine	46%	5%	20%	17%	2%	10%
Maryland	53%	7%	14%	14%	2%	10%
Massachusetts	57%	7%	17%	14%	N/A	4%
Michigan	53%	5%	16%	15%	1%	11%
Minnesota	57%	9%	13%	13%	N/A	7%
Mississippi	43%	5%	19%	17%	3%	14%
Missouri	50%	7%	13%	19%	1%	11%
Montana	44%	N/A	12%	18%	4%	15%
Nebraska	54%	10%	11%	14%	N/A	10%
Nevada	47%	6%	10%	13%	3%	20%
New Hampshire	56%	6%	10%	15%	1%	11%
New Jersey	57%	4%	13%	13%	N/A	12%
New Mexico	38%	5%	20%	18%	N/A	16%
New York	48%	6%	21%	15%	1%	9%
North Carolina	42%	6%	16%	17%	3%	16%
North Dakota	54%	11%	10%	13%	N/A	12%
Ohio	47%	6%	15%	17%	2%	13%
Oklahoma	45%	6%	17%	15%	N/A	14%
Oregon	48%	6%	15%	16%	1%	13%
Pennsylvania	54%	6%	13%	17%	N/A	10%
Rhode Island	50%	9%	15%	16%	1%	9%
South Carolina	46%	4%	14%	19%	2%	15%
South Dakota	52%	11%	11%	15%	2%	9%
Tennessee	45%	5%	17%	17%	N/A	13%
Texas	46%	5%	15%	12%	2%	20%
Utah	58%	8%	10%	11%	N/A	11%
Vermont	48%	6%	18%	19%	2%	8%
Virginia	55%	6%	9%	13%	6%	11%
Washington	49%	7%	13%	15%	4%	11%
West Virginia	44%	4%	19%	20%	N/A	13%
Wisconsin	55%	5%	13%	17%	N/A	9%
Wyoming	49%	5%	11%	12%	5%	17%
United States	48%	6%	16%	15%	2%	13%
Source: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, "State Health Facts"

Change in health insurance coverage

The 1980s saw a peak in the percentage of people who were receiving health coverage through their employers, with a continuous decline in the rate thereafter. A study by researchers at the University of Minnesota’s State Health Access Data Assistance Center, which was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found that despite the tax exemption, as the decade between 2002 and 2012 went on, fewer employers chose to offer health coverage to their employees, and when it was offered, fewer employees enrolled.^[1]^[3]

The table below displays the change in insurance coverage by source between 2000 and 2012 for each state, including the change in the percentage of residents that were uninsured. The change is displayed in percentage points, which is the difference between one percentage and another; for example, the difference between 11 percent and 13 percent is 2 percentage points. Between 2000 and 2012, the District of Columbia saw the largest decline in the percentage of uninsured residents, 4.5 percentage points. Nevada saw the largest increase in this percentage, 7.4 percentage points. Click [show] on the red bar below to view the data.

Change in health insurance coverage by source, 2000-2012
State	Change (in percentage points)
State	Medicaid enrollment	Employer-sponsored insurance	Medicare enrollment	Uninsured rate
Alabama	6.3	-9.7	5.4	2.5
Alaska	0.5	-7	2.2	1
Arizona	10.6	-11.5	3.1	1.8
Arkansas	5.8	-12.7	1.2	4.2
California	6.9	-8.3	2.2	0.3
Colorado	3.5	-10	2.7	0.7
Connecticut	7.7	-8	-0.7	-0.9
Delaware	9.2	-15.3	4.4	2.2
District of Columbia	9.1	-2.3	-0.8	-4.5
Florida	5.7	-12.4	1.3	5.2
Georgia	4.2	-14.1	2.1	5
Hawaii	2.8	-8.5	3.8	-0.3
Idaho	2.9	-8.9	4.7	0.6
Illinois	8	-9.5	2.7	1.6
Indiana	6.2	-13.8	2.6	3
Iowa	7.6	-11.6	0.5	2
Kansas	4	-11.3	1	2.9
Kentucky	3.3	-10.8	2.9	3
Louisiana	8	-5.3	0.8	1.4
Maine	12	-5.9	1.2	-0.8
Maryland	3.3	-10.5	0.4	3.5
Massachusetts	8.4	-4.8	2.4	-3
Michigan	9.2	-11.5	4.8	3
Minnesota	5.5	-9.8	4.9	0.3
Mississippi	5.1	-12.6	2.9	1.9
Missouri	0.1	-12.2	4.7	4.7
Montana	2.3	-6	4.8	2.1
Nebraska	0.6	-6.8	3.8	5.4
Nevada	4.7	-14	1.9	7.4
New Hampshire	3.8	-7.6	1.4	4.1
New Jersey	1.8	-11.1	0.7	3.6
New Mexico	6	-6.6	3.6	-1
New York	10.8	-6.3	1.9	-3.2
North Carolina	3.8	-13.8	3.4	5.1
North Dakota	2.6	1.3	-1.9	1.9
Ohio	7.5	-13.6	3.7	2.5
Oklahoma	5.9	-4.2	0.5	-0.2
Oregon	0.4	-11.8	3	3.7
Pennsylvania	4.6	-10.6	1.9	4.5
Rhode Island	3.2	-10.1	0.1	5.4
South Carolina	0.6	-10.3	1.8	3.5
South Dakota	3.3	-5.1	-0.8	3.7
Tennessee	-3.2	-10.9	4.2	3.3
Texas	6.3	-8.1	0.8	2.9
Utah	3.5	-11.1	1.8	3.6
Vermont	7.1	-7.9	4.9	-0.4
Virginia	3.2	-8.1	1.7	2.8
Washington	4.5	-5.3	1.6	0.5
West Virginia	2.9	-8.2	1.5	1
Wisconsin	10.5	-14.2	0.6	2.6
Wyoming	4.9	-1.6	3.2	1
United States	5.8	-10	2.2	2.3
Source: The Pew Charitable Trusts, "State Health Care Spending on Medicaid"

Uninsured population

Following the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, the nation as a whole saw a decline in the number of individuals without health insurance, particularly following the first open enrollment period for the health insurance exchanges in 2013 and the first state Medicaid expansions in 2014. According to the Census Bureau, between 2013 and 2014, the number of uninsured individuals declined by 18.8 percent, from 45 million to 36.7 million people. The uninsured rate was 16.3 percent in 2010, 14.5 percent in 2013 and 11.7 percent in 2014. By 2016, about 8.6 percent of the country lacked health insurance.^[4]^[5]^[6]

The tables below provide information about the number of uninsured individuals and the percentage of residents who were uninsured in each state.

2016

In 2016, about 27.3 million individuals in the United States were uninsured. Click [show] on the red bar to view the data.

Population without health insurance coverage, 2013 and 2016
State	2013 uninsured	2016 uninsured	Difference
Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
Alabama	645,000	13.6%	435,000	9.1%	-210,000	-32.5%
Alaska	132,000	18.5%	101,000	14.0%	-31,000	-23.5%
Arizona	1,118,000	17.1%	681,000	10.0%	-437,000	-39.1%
Arkansas	465,000	16.0%	232,000	7.9%	-233,000	-50.1%
California	6,500,000	17.2%	2,844,000	7.3%	-3,656,000	-56.2%
Colorado	729,000	14.1%	410,000	7.5%	-319,000	-43.8%
Connecticut	333,000	9.4%	172,000	4.9%	-160,000	-48.3%
Delaware	83,000	9.1%	53,000	5.7%	-30,000	-36.1%
Florida	3,853,000	20.0%	2,544,000	12.5%	-1,309,000	-34.0%
Georgia	1,846,000	18.8%	1,310,000	12.9%	-537,000	-29.0%
Hawaii	91,000	6.7%	49,000	3.5%	-42,000	-46.2%
Idaho	257,000	16.2%	168,000	10.1%	-89,000	-34.6%
Illinois	1,618,000	12.7%	817,000	6.5%	-802,000	-49.5%
Indiana	903,000	14.0%	530,000	8.1%	-373,000	-41.3%
Iowa	248,000	8.1%	132,000	4.3%	-116,000	-46.8%
Kansas	348,000	12.3%	249,000	8.7%	-99,000	-28.4%
Kentucky	616,000	14.3%	223,000	5.1%	-393,000	-63.8%
Louisiana	751,000	16.6%	470,000	10.3%	-281,000	-37.4%
Maine	147,000	11.2%	106,000	8.0%	-41,000	-27.9%
Maryland	593,000	10.2%	363,000	6.1%	-230,000	-38.8%
Massachusetts	247,000	3.7%	171,000	2.5%	-76,000	-30.7%
Michigan	1,072,000	11.0%	527,000	5.4%	-545,000	-50.8%
Minnesota	440,000	8.2%	225,000	4.1%	-215,000	-48.9%
Mississippi	500,000	17.1%	346,000	11.8%	-154,000	-30.8%
Missouri	773,000	13.0%	532,000	8.9%	-241,000	-31.2%
Montana	165,000	16.5%	83,000	8.1%	-81,000	-49.7%
Nebraska	209,000	11.3%	161,000	8.60%	-48,000	-23.0%
Nevada	570,000	20.7%	330,000	11.4%	-240,000	-42.1%
New Hampshire	140,000	10.7%	78,000	5.9%	-63,000	-44.3%
New Jersey	1,160,000	13.2%	705,000	8.0%	-455,000	-39.2%
New Mexico	382,000	18.6%	188,000	9.2%	-195,000	-50.8%
New York	2,070,000	10.7%	1,183,000	6.1%	-887,000	-42.9%
North Carolina	1,509,000	15.6%	1,038,000	10.4%	-471,000	-31.2%
North Dakota	73,000	10.4%	52,000	7.0%	-21,000	-28.8%
Ohio	1,258,000	11.0%	644,000	5.6%	-614,000	-48.8%
Oklahoma	666,000	17.7%	530,000	13.8%	-136,000	-20.4%
Oregon	571,000	14.7%	253,000	6.2%	-318,000	-55.7%
Pennsylvania	1,222,000	9.7%	708,000	5.6%	-514,000	-42.0%
Rhode Island	120,000	11.6%	45,000	4.3%	-75,000	-62.5%
South Carolina	739,000	15.8%	486,000	10.0%	-253,000	-34.2%
South Dakota	93,000	11.3%	74,000	8.7%	-19,000	-20.4%
Tennessee	887,000	13.9%	592,000	9.0%	-294,000	-33.3%
Texas	5,748,000	22.1%	4,545,000	16.6%	-1,203,000	-20.9%
Utah	402,000	14.0%	265,000	8.8%	-137,000	-34.1%
Vermont	45,000	7.2%	23,000	3.7%	-22,000	-48.9%
Virginia	991,000	12.3%	715,000	8.7%	-276,000	-27.9%
Washington	960,000	14.0%	428,000	6.0%	-532,000	-55.4%
West Virginia	255,000	14.0%	96,000	5.3%	-159,000	-62.4%
Wisconsin	518,000	9.1%	300,000	5.3%	-218,000	-42.1%
Wyoming	77,000	13.4%	67,000	11.5%	-11,000	-13.0%
Source: United States Census Bureau, "Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2016"

2014

In 2014, about 36.7 million individuals were uninsured nationwide. Click [show] on the red bar to view the data.

Population without health insurance coverage, 2013 and 2014
State	2013 uninsured	2014 uninsured	Difference
Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
Alabama	645,000	13.6%	579,000	12.1%	-66,000	-10.2%
Alaska	132,000	18.5%	122,000	17.2%	-10,000	-7.6%
Arizona	1,118,000	17.1%	903,000	13.6%	-215,000	-19.2%
Arkansas	465,000	16.0%	343,000	11.8%	-122,000	-26.2%
California	6,500,000	17.2%	4,767,000	12.4%	-1,733,000	-26.7%
Colorado	729,000	14.1%	543,000	10.3%	-187,000	-25.5%
Connecticut	333,000	9.4%	245,000	6.9%	-87,000	-26.4%
Delaware	83,000	9.1%	72,000	7.8%	-12,000	-13.3%
District of Columbia	42,000	6.7%	34,000	5.3%	-8,000	-19.0%
Florida	3,853,000	20.0%	3,245,000	16.6%	-608,000	-15.8%
Georgia	1,846,000	18.8%	1,568,000	15.8%	-278,000	-15.1%
Hawaii	91,000	6.7%	72,000	5.3%	-19,000	-20.9%
Idaho	257,000	16.2%	219,000	13.6%	-39,000	-14.8%
Illinois	1,618,000	12.7%	1,238,000	9.7%	-380,000	-23.5%
Indiana	903,000	14.0%	776,000	11.9%	-127,000	-14.1%
Iowa	248,000	8.1%	189,000	6.2%	-59,000	-23.8%
Kansas	348,000	12.3%	291,000	10.2%	-57,000	-16.4%
Kentucky	616,000	14.3%	366,000	8.5%	-250,000	-40.6%
Louisiana	751,000	16.6%	672,000	14.8%	-80,000	-10.5%
Maine	147,000	11.2%	134,000	10.1%	-13,000	-8.8%
Maryland	593,000	10.2%	463,000	7.9%	-130,000	-21.9%
Massachusetts	247,000	3.7%	219,000	3.3%	-28,000	-11.3%
Michigan	1,072,000	11.0%	837,000	8.5%	-235,000	-21.9%
Minnesota	440,000	8.2%	317,000	5.9%	-123,000	-28.0%
Mississippi	500,000	17.1%	424,000	14.5%	-76,000	-15.2%
Missouri	773,000	13.0%	694,000	11.7%	-79,000	-10.2%
Montana	165,000	16.5%	143,000	14.2%	-21,000	-13.3%
Nebraska	209,000	11.3%	179,000	9.7%	-29,000	-14.4%
Nevada	570,000	20.7%	427,000	15.2%	-143,000	-25.1%
New Hampshire	140,000	10.7%	120,000	9.2%	-20,000	-14.3%
New Jersey	1,160,000	13.2%	965,000	10.9%	-195,000	-16.8%
New Mexico	382,000	18.6%	298,000	14.5%	-85,000	-22.0%
New York	2,070,000	10.7%	1,697,000	8.7%	-373,000	-18.0%
North Carolina	1,509,000	15.6%	1,276,000	13.1%	-233,000	-15.4%
North Dakota	73,000	10.4%	57,000	7.9%	-16,000	-21.9%
Ohio	1,258,000	11.0%	955,000	8.4%	-302,000	-24.1%
Oklahoma	666,000	17.7%	584,000	15.4%	-82,000	-12.3%
Oregon	571,000	14.7%	383,000	9.7%	-188,000	-32.9%
Pennsylvania	1,222,000	9.7%	1,065,000	8.5%	-158,000	-12.8%
Rhode Island	120,000	11.6%	77,000	7.4%	-43,000	-35.8%
South Carolina	739,000	15.8%	642,000	13.6%	-97,000	-13.1%
South Dakota	93,000	11.3%	82,000	9.8%	-11,000	-11.8%
Tennessee	887,000	13.9%	776,000	12.0%	-110,000	-12.5%
Texas	5,748,000	22.1%	5,047,000	19.1%	-701,000	-12.2%
Utah	402,000	14.0%	366,000	12.5%	-37,000	-9.0%
Vermont	45,000	7.2%	31,000	5.0%	-14,000	-31.1%
Virginia	991,000	12.3%	884,000	10.9%	-107,000	-10.8%
Washington	960,000	14.0%	643,000	9.2%	-317,000	-33.0%
West Virginia	255,000	14.0%	156,000	8.6%	-99,000	-38.8%
Wisconsin	518,000	9.1%	418,000	7.3%	-100,000	-19.3%
Wyoming	77,000	13.4%	69,000	12.0%	-8,000	-10.4%
United States	45,181,000	14.5%	36,670,000	11.7%	-8,510,000	-18.8%
Source: United States Census Bureau, "Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2014"

Healthcare policy in the 50 states

Click on a state below to read more about healthcare policy in that state.

Footnotes

v•e Ballotpedia

About	Overview • What people are saying • Support Ballotpedia • Contact • Contribute • Job opportunities

	Executive: Leslie Graves, President • Gwen Beattie, Chief Operating Officer • Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy Communications: Alison Graves • Carley Allensworth • Abigail Campbell • Sarah Groat • Erica Shumaker • Caitlin Vanden Boom External Relations: Moira Delaney • Hannah Nelson • Caroline Presnell Operations: Meghann Olshefski • Mandy Morris • Kelly Rindfleisch Policy: Christopher Nelson • Caitlin Styrsky • Molly Byrne • Jimmy McAllister • Samuel Postell Research: Josh Altic • Vojsava Ramaj Tech: Matt Latourelle • Nathan Bingham • Ryan Burch • Kirsten Corrao • Beth Dellea • Travis Eden • Tate Kamish • Margaret Kearney • Eric Lotto • Joseph Sanchez Contributors: Scott Rasmussen

Editorial	Geoff Pallay, Editor-in-Chief • Daniel Anderson, Managing Editor • Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor • Cory Eucalitto, Managing Editor • Mandy Gillip, Managing Editor • Dave Beaudoin • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Emma Burlingame • Kelly Coyle • Megan Feeney • Nicole Fisher • Juan García de Paredes • Joseph Greaney • Jaime Healy-Plotkin • Sara Horton • Tyler King • Doug Kronaizl • Roneka Matheny • Andrew McNair • Ellie Mikus • Jackie Mitchell • Elisabeth Moore • Ellen Morrissey • Mackenzie Murphy • Samantha Post • Adam Powell • Paul Rader • Ethan Rice • Victoria Rose • Myj Saintyl • Maddy Salucka • Maddie Sinclair Johnson • Abbey Smith • Janie Valentine • Joel Williams • Samuel Wonacott • Mercedes Yanora

Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Health_insurance_coverage_statistics_by_state&oldid=8850063"