Insurance and Uninsurance in the District of Columbia: Starting with the Numbers

Insurance and Uninsurance in the District of ColumbiaTHE URBAN INSTITUTED.C. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHPrepared by Jennifer King and the State Planning Grant teamInsurance and Uninsurancein the District of ColumbiaStarting with the Numbers This data book was produced under the District of Columbia’s State Planning Grant (SPG) initiative. This initiative is funded under a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the State Center for Health Statistics Administration of the D.C. Department of Health. Research under this grant is conducted by the District’s SPG partner, the Urban Institute.Insurance and Uninsurance in the District of Columbia Starting with the NumbersTHE URBAN INSTITUTED.C. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHPrepared by Jennifer King and the State Planning Grant team Copyright © 2005. The Urban Institute. All rights reserved. This information may be used, with appropriate acknowledgment, for research, academic, policy or other non-commercial purposes. Proper attribution is required.The Urban Institute is a nonprofit nonpartisan policy research and educational organization established to examine the social, economic, and governance problems facing the nation. It provides information and analysis to public and private decision makers to help them address these challenges and strives to raise citizen understanding of the issues and tradeoffs in policymaking. GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIADepartment of HealthOffice of the Director The District of Columbia Department of Health is pleased to offer this datebook, Insurance and Uninsurance in the District of Columbia: Starting with the Numbers. It presents and analyzes information on the many issues surrounding health insurance—and uninsurance—in our com-munity. This book documents our many strengths in the District. Private employers are more likely to offer health insurance here than nationally. The District government operates not only a generous Medicaid program but also health coverage under the innovative Health Care lliance for low-income residents who are outside the federal Medicaid eligibility categories. s a result, our rate of uninsurance is lower than in much of the country. We can be proud of this fact. But our glass is still partly empty, as this book also shows. Many hard-working residents earn too little to pay for private insurance but too much to qualify for public programs. Some others qualify for programs yet do not enroll to take advantage of the available coverage. Some residents, for example, adult men, are more likely than other groups to be uninsured. These gaps show where we need to concentrate our efforts in expanding health insurance to all DC residents This book is a product of a collaboration between the Department’s Policy, Planning and Research dministration and The Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center. We believe that it shows the value of objective information on all perspectives in the important debate about how best to promote health coverage and access to services in the District. It is an example of the Depart-ment’s commitment to ensure the health and well-being of the residents.Sincerely,Gregg . Pane, M.D.Director825 North Capitol Street, N.E., Suite 4400, Washington, D.C. 20002, (202) 671-5000, (202) 442-4788 Fax Insurance and Uninsurance in the District of ColumbiavThe District of Columbia is the urban center of the Washington Metropolitan Statistical rea (MS). The city is bordered by rlington County and the City of lexandria in northern Virginia, and by Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland. In 2000, census data reported that the District had 572,059 residents, representing broad cultural and ethnic diversity. Females represented 52.9 percent while males represented 47.1 percent of the total population.The Department of Health’s mission is to promote healthy lives, prevent illness, provide equal access to quality healthcare services, and protect the safety of all in the nation’s capital.  primary motivation for the Department of Health’s efforts to improve access to quality healthcare services is to improve health outcomes. One of the most effective ways to improve people’s health status is to make sure they have health insurance coverage. Numerous studies suggest that provision of coverage for individuals improves access to health care services and ultimately leads to improvement in health outcomes.While the uninsurance rate in the District is lower than average for a state, and substantially lower than comparable metropolitan areas, there still remain residents who are uncovered, even among workers, particularly those with relatively low wages or in small firms. ccording to the most recent Current Population Survey data (2003-2004), 13.8 percent of the total population in the District is uninsured, compared with 15.7 percent in the nation as a whole.1 If lliance members are excluded from the uninsured, the Distric