New info on uninsured in one state

Massachusetts is wealthier than most states, and has a relatively generous Medicaid program. Nevertheless, it is similar to most states in the kinds of disparities that exist in health insurance coverage and the correlates of lack of insurance. It is also exceptional in the resources it invests in collecting data relevant to public health policy, including a periodic, high quality telephone survey on health insurance coverage.

The report is out for 2004. Highlights include:

Huge racial and ethnic disparities in insurance coverage:

• "Black, non-Hispanics" (which in Mass. include significant numbers of Hatians and Cape Verdeans as well as African Americans) are about twice as likely to be uninsured as "White, non-Hispanics."
• "Hispanics" are about three times as likely to be uninsured.

60% of employees of small firms are uninsured!
The percentage of the state's population that was uninsured went up significantly from 2003 to 2004, because people lost employer-provided coverage.
Uninsured people were much less likely to have visited a doctor or a dentist in the past year.

The report, and past years' reports, are available here.

(By the way, Blogger is eating posts lately, this is my second try. Any fellow bloggers having the same problem, let's send 'em nasty e-mails.)