Health Statistics

Local Statistics
22% of Amarillo citizens are uninsured or do not have access to health care.

Uninsured in Potter and Randall counties:

• 13,616 children under the age of 18
• 33,245 adults between the ages of 19-64
• 47,154 total residents that are uninsured

24.5% of Potter county residents are uninsured.

19.5% of Randall county residents are uninsured.

State Statistics
In 2003, states with the highest uninsured non-elderly adults include: Texas (30.7%), Louisiana (26.4%), New Mexico (26.0%), and Nevada (23.9%).

In 2003, states with the lowest uninsured non-elderly adults include: Minnesota (8.3%), Hawaii (9.8%), Delaware (10.2%), and District of Columbia (11.0%).

In 2003, states with the highest percentage of uninsured non-elderly adults reporting poor or fair health status include: Texas (27.6%), Nevada (24.8%), and Mississippi (24.3%).

In 2003, states with the lowest percentage of uninsured non-elderly adults reporting poor or fair health status include: Hawaii (10.5%), District of Columbia (10.9%), and Vermont (11.0%).

2003 Uninsured Statistics
There were 45 million Americans, under the age of 65, without healthcare coverage.

Medicaid covered 13% of the nonelderly. Qualification is based on both income and categories of eligibility: children, their parents, and disabled individuals.

8 out of 10 of the uninsured came from working families.

Two-thirds of the uninsured are from low-income families or low-income individuals.

70% of the nonelderly adult population accounted for nearly 80% of the uninsured.

79% of the uninsured were American citizens.

There was an increase in the number of uninsured, between 2000 and 2003, of 5 million.

Employer-sponsored health insurance of the nonelderly decreased for the first time in 2001 since 1993, the decrease was from 66% in 2000 to 62% (160 million) by 2003.

Blue-collar jobs comprise 80% of uninsured workers.

Children are half of all Medicaid beneficiaries.

In 2004, a family of three with a working full-time parent earning minimum wage could not qualify for Medicaid in 25 states.

Consequences of the Uninsured
In 2003, 41.3% of non-elderly adults without health care coverage nationally, compared with 8.6% of adults with health care coverage, were unable to see a doctor when needed due to cost in the past twelve months.

The uninsured, when hospitalized, are more likely to receive fewer services and to die in the hospital than are insured patients.

Improving overall health having health insurance could reduce mortality rates of the uninsured by 10-15%.

In 2004, the cost of uncompensated care was estimated at $41 billion.

In 2001, uncompensated care provided by physicians was estimated at $5 billion.

In 2003, 23% of the uninsured were contacted by a collection agency concerning unpaid medical bills, threatening the financial security of the family.

Sources

“The Uninsured: Primer"
“Key Facts About Americans Without Health Insurance"
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, November 2004.

“Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2004"
US Census Bureau. Table 5.

“Fact Sheet"
Health Access Clearinghouse