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AFFORDABILITY OF HEALTHCARE
1. POPULATION NOT COVERED BY HEALTH
INSURANCE
Definition:
This indicator represents the percentage of the population without
health insurance coverage.
Significance: Lack
of insurance compromises the health of the uninsured because they
receive less preventive care, are diagnosed at more advanced disease
stages, and once diagnosed, tend to receive less therapeutic care
and have higher mortality rates than the insured.[i]
[ii]
Historical/Trend Analysis,
Percent of Population without Health Insurance

Data reflect South
Carolina (SC) average, the percentage of the total United States
(US) population, and the Southeast (SE) average. The southeast
region consists of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi,
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Source:
U.S. Census Bureau
Data reflects responses to the
Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current
Population Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau. The ASEC is a
survey of approximately 78,000 households in which respondents
are asked, among other things, about their health insurance
coverage during the previous year. If they lacked coverage at
any point during the year, they are counted as not covered.
Selected
State Rankings, 2007 (1
represents state with highest percentage of population counted as
having been without health insurance at some point during the year.
Rankings reflect a standard competition ranking method that accounts
for ties that result in two or more states having the same rank.)
|
SC |
NC |
GA |
TN |
TX |
MA |
|
13 |
13 |
10 |
20 |
1 |
50 |
|
16.4% |
16.4% |
17.5% |
14.4% |
25.2% |
5.4% |
Revised 09.23.2008
[ii] The
United States spends nearly $100 billion per year to provide
uninsured residents with health services, often for
preventable diseases or diseases that physicians could treat
more efficiently with earlier diagnosis. Retrieved
September 29, 2006 from
http://www.nchc.org/facts/coverage.shtml .
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