May 23, 2011: The Utah Department of Health released 2010 uninsurance estimates last week showing that 10.6 percent of the state’s population lacked health insurance coverage. This rate is slightly lower than the 11.2 percent reported in 2009, but the change is not statistically significant.
Utah’s year-over-year decrease in uninsurance is widely attributed to changes in the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), including a move to extend open enrollment throughout the year. However, more than 12 percent of Utah children who live in households below 200% of the federal poverty level--and are thus income-eligible for CHIP--remain uninsured.
The highest rate of uninsurance was among of young adults (ages 19 to 26), at 28.6 percent.
These newly-released data are based on the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Starting in 2009, Utah added insurance coverage and health care access questions to the BRFSS from the former Utah Healthcare Access Survey, which was discontinued in 2008. Utah also increased the sample size in 2009 to allow more accurate estimation of sub-population insurance coverage. For more information, visit the Utah BRFSS web page.
You can also click here to learn more about health access data collection activity in Utah since 2000.