In the comments to my Gov. Perry post yesterday, TIE readers asked for more facts about the uninsured in Texas. Happy to oblige.
1. Texas is clearly in last place for insurance coverage, with 24.8%; the nearest “competitor” is New Mexico at 21.8%. Massachusetts has the highest rate of coverage, with only 5% uninsured (US Census, Comparison of Uninsured Rates Between States Using 3-Year Averages: 2008-2010).
2. 16% of uninsured Texans are children, nearly double the national rate, 1.1 million kids:
Uninsured Estimates of Children 0-17, American Community Survey (ACS), 2009 KFF
Texas # | Texas % | US # | US % | |
| Insured | 5,758,045 | 83.7% | 67,989,330 | 91.4% |
| Uninsured | 1,119,685 | 16.3% | 6,369,023 | 8.6% |
| Total | 6,877,730 | 100% | 74,358,353 | 100% |
3. Most of the uninsured in Texas are Hispanic or Black (59% are Hispanic):
Distribution of Nonelderly Uninsured by Race/Ethnicity, 2008/2009 KFF
Texas # | Texas % | US # | US % | |
| White | 1,572,400 | 26% | 23,379,400 | 47% |
| Black | 661,000 | 11% | 7,581,100 | 15% |
| Hispanic | 3,623,700 | 59% | 15,617,700 | 31% |
| Other | 306,200 | 5% | 3,419,700 | 7% |
| Total | 6,163,300 | 100% | 49,997,900 | 100% |
[h/t to Mark in the comments]
4. Nationally, 13.8% of US-born citizens and 20% of naturalized citizens are uninsured. 45% of non-citizens are uninsured (I couldn’t find 2010 uninsured data by nativity and state):
Uninsured by Nativity, 2010 US Census (Table 8, p. 26)
Native Born | Naturalized Citizen | Not a Citizen | |
| Uninsured | 36,881,000 | 3,356,000 | 9,667,000 |
| Percent | 13.8% | 20.0% | 45.1% |
5. Of those 9.6 million uninsured non-citizens (green card residency status not known), more than half (4.973 million) have been in the US for 10 years or longer (US Census, Table HI09, 2010).
6. A good summary chart on uninsured children:
7. Health status indicators in Texas are near average and sometimes above average (infant mortality rate), but these statistics are not adjusted for the average age of state residents.
[UPDATE – Aaron suggests one more:
8. Uninsured in Texas by race
http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=143&cat=3
Ranks in uninsurance:
White: 3rd worst
Black:: 3rd worst
Hispanic: 10th worst
Other: 7th worst
Overall: worst
Previous TIE coverage on Texas]
Sources: as linked above; generally see US Census 2010; for a nice report-generating interface, see KFF.
