NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State
University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
March 26, 1998
The proportion of people covered by health insurance fell in the United States between 1987 and 1996, according to the latest "Economic Brief" released by the North Dakota State Data Center at North Dakota State University.
In North Dakota, 92.3 percent of the population was covered by some type of health insurance in 1987. This proportion fell to 90.1 percent in 1996. Nationwide, 87.1 percent were covered in 1987, 84.4 percent in 1996.
The proportion of children under age 18 with health insurance also dropped. In 1987, 6.8 percent of children in North Dakota did not have health insurance, and this rose to 9.7 percent in 1996. Nationally, the proportion of children without health insurance rose from 12.9 percent in 1987 to 14.8 percent in 1996.
"This is a situation that needs to be monitored," said Richard Rathge, director of the State Data Center. "The collection of data regarding the uninsured in North Dakota is in conjunction with a larger national sample. Our statewide sampling frame, being relatively small, is subject to larger error. Therefore, we need to closely monitor the fluctuation in our numbers to make sure the problem isn't larger than what the statistics suggest.
"For example, over the past 10 years the rate of uninsured children in our state has varied from a reported low of 4.3 percent in 1989 to a reported high point of 11.9 percent in 1993."
In 1996 in Hawaii only about 5 percent of children had no health insurance, and in Vermont and Wisconsin only about 6 percent. But in Arizona and Texas about 25 percent of children under 18 had no health insurance.
[EDITORS: FOR MORE STATE DATA, SEE YELLOW PUBLICATION FOLLOWING THIS STORY, "HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE IN NORTH DAKOTA." THIS PUBLICATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE STATE DATA CENTER, BOX 5636, NDSU, FARGO, ND 58105.]
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Source: Richard Rathge (701) 231-8621
Editor: Barry Brissman (701) 231-7866
Click here for a pdf version of this graphic.
Click here for a pdf version of this graphic.