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SALT LAKE CITY — The number of uninsured Utahns officially went up last year, but the increase may only reflect how many people have been left out of previous surveys.
The Utah Department of Health released results of its latest survey which estimates that 377,700 Utahns were without health insurance in 2011, roughly 13.4 percent of the state. That's up from 301,700 in 2010, an increase of about 3 percent.
However, previous surveys included only people who used landlines, which failed to account for citizens who used cell phones exclusively, a demographic especially likely to be uninsured. This year's survey included those who use cell phones exclusively, as well as landlines. The way the survey was analyzed was also updated to better reflect Utah's population.
UDOH's Barry Nangle freely told the legislature last year that the real number of uninsured was likely higher than the official 2010 estimate because of the cell phone issue.
- 56,500 children ages 0-18 years were uninsured and living below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), making them eligible for Utah's CHIP program.
- 7.9 percent of Utah children ages 0-17 years (69,600) were without health insurance coverage in 2011.
- Younger adults ages 19-26 years and 27-34 years had the lowest rates of insurance coverage in 2011 than any other age group.
- Among adults ages 19-64 years who were employed full time, 13.2 percent were uninsured in 2011, while 26.3 percent of adults who were employed only part time went without health care coverage.
- Among self-employed Utahns, 29.1 percent reported being uninsured in 2011.
UDOH said it can't be known for sure how much of the increase was due to including cell phone users. Still, they think the new methods addressed an under-representation problem in past years.
"Both of these methodology changes account for the increasing number of Utah households without landline phones, while also addressing an under-representation of males, adults with less formal education or lower household income, and racial and ethnic minorities," UDOH said in a release.
Young adults age 19 to 26 and 27 to 34 were the least likely to have insurance in 2011, according to the survey. There were roughly 175,000 without insurance including both those age groups. Young people often use cell phones almost exclusively and are among the least likely to be insured, and this may account for some of the increase.
13.2 percent of adults 19 to 64 who worked full time were uninsured, as well as 26.3 of those who worked part time. Almost 30 percent of those who were self-employed had no insurance. Roughly 200,000 of those without insurance were below or near federal the poverty level.
Particularly worrisome for UDOH was the number of children who were uninsured that could have received help from the CHIP program, which provides insurance for children in poverty.
"It's particularly discouraging to see 56,500 Utah children went without health care coverage last year when the state's CHIP program could have helped them," said UDOH Executive Director David Patton in a release. "My goal is to help Utahns become the healthiest people in the nation, and addressing the rate of uninsured Utahns is an important part of achieving that goal."
More detailed information on the survey results can be seen by clicking here.
