Studies reveal shrinking access to and increased costs of health care coverage for many in the U.S. And analysts worry about 2022 insurance premiums.
Roll Call:
Health Care Rates For 2021 Stable, But 2022 May Bring Challenges
A drop in health care costs is projected to keep insurance rates low in 2021, but long-term worries about the COVID-19 pandemic are raising concerns about potential spikes in future years. Final rate increases in the individual market are under 5 percent in places like Idaho, the District of Columbia and Minnesota. Several states, including Hawaii and Oregon, are even expecting price drops. (Clason, 10/8)
Fewer children are insured —
The New York Times:
Even As The Economy Grew, More Children Lost Health Insurance
The share of children with health coverage in the United States fell for the third consecutive year in 2019, according to census data, after decades of increases. The decline occurred during a period of economic growth — before the coronavirus pandemic caused broad job losses that might have cost many more Americans their health insurance. (Sanger-Katz and Goodnough, 10/9)
Houston Chronicle:
Texas Leads Nation In Uninsured Kids
One in seven children in Harris County were uninsured in 2019, one of the highest rates in the country and almost triple the national average, according to a report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. (Wu, 10/9)
Colorado Public Radio:
The Rate Of Uninsured Children Is Creeping Up Across Colorado And The US, And Hispanic Kids Are Even Less Likely To Be Insured
In 2019, there were about 58,000 kids in Colorado who were uninsured. That’s nearly the population of Grand Junction. Rewind to 2015 and a historic low of 2.5 percent, or an estimated 33,000 children in Colorado, were uninsured, according to data compiled by the Colorado Health