NC
Strategic Scorecard |
1.3.1 Health
Insurance |
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Target: At
least 90% of citizens are covered by health insurance
Actual: 83%
are covered
US
Rank 2004: 35th (down
from 28th in 1995)
SE
Rank 2004: 7th (down
from 4th in 1995)
SE
Region: AL
FL GA KY MS NC SC TN VA WV Updated 3/18/2006
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Primary Performance Indicator
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Percent
Population Covered by Health Insurance
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Performance
Trend:
The
trend depicts the degree to which actual
performance has approached the target in
recent years. |
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Comments
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The
percent of population covered by health insurance in
NC has declined since 1994, while the nation’s
coverage percentage has only marginally improved. |
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NC’s
comparative ranking in health insurance coverage has
fallen in the last decade, both nationally and regionally. |
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NC
has the 7th lowest health insurance coverage ratio in
the SE region. |
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Definition
(What Is Being Measured)
Percent
of population who are covered by public or private
health insurance at some time during the year
Source: US
Bureau of Census, Current Population Survey and Historical
Health Insurance Tables; rankings from Morgan Quitno;
US Bureau of Census, Current Population Survey, March
2004, and Historical Health Insurance Tables ; rankings
from Morgan Quitno. |
Relevance
(Why This Is Important)
Health
insurance ensures greater access to quality health care, both critical
care and preventative services. Quality health care not only improves
the overall health of our population, but reduces health care costs
(associated with unplanned or urgent care) and enhances workforce
productivity. Children without health insurance are particularly
vulnerable to illnesses and other problems. |
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| Other
Highlights |
| North
Carolina |
• |
Since
2000, NC’s uninsured population has increased faster
than in all but six states, but it could have been worse. |
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According
to the NC Child Advocacy Institute, the percent of NC’s
children lacking health insurance actually declined from
13.2% in 1998 to 11.9% in 2003. |
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As
state officials have resisted federal efforts to curtail
public programs and their coverage, NC’s Medicaid
enrollment has increased by 30% and its Children’s
Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment by over 100%. |
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In
lieu of NC’s commitment to such public health insurance
programs as Medicaid and Health Choice, the number of uninsured
persons would have increased even more. |
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| Southeast
Region |
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Tennessee, a leader
among states with its innovative TennCare program, dropped
323,000 low-income adults from its program in early 2005. |
| National |
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In 2003, 15.6% of the
US population lacked health insurance coverage, and prospects
for improvement look bleak. From 1999 to 2003, the national
health insurance coverage rate dropped by nearly 6%, yet
health care costs and health insurance costs continue to
escalate at a disturbing rate. Since 2001, the cost of
health coverage grew by 50%. For the past two decades,
health care costs in the US have grown at a 9% annual pace,
higher than the inflation rate. About 12% of the national
gross domestic product is spend on health care. |
| Global |
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Goal
3.1: Ensure
access to good health care |
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