Uninsured Iowans Rise
Number of uninsured Iowans rises this decade
By Charlotte Eby Journal Des Moines Bureau | Posted: Friday, September 11, 2009
DES MOINES — The number of Iowans without health insurance rose at a faster rate this decade than many other parts of the country, a recent analysis of U.S. Census data shows.
A study by the Iowa Fiscal Partnership found that 279,000 Iowans were uninsured in either 2007 or 2008. A total of 9.4 percent of the state’s population had no health insurance during those years.
That is up from the 225,000, or 7.9 percent, of Iowans who were uninsured in 2000-2001.
Christine Ralston, a research associate who analyzed the data, said they expect the percentage of uninsured to be even higher today because the data only covered the first part of the current recession.
“A lot has happened in these last eight months that aren’t reflected in the numbers,” Ralston said.
She said the rise in uninsured Iowans can be attributed in part to the loss of jobs, particularly manufacturing jobs, and to employers cutting back on health insurance benefits.
She said Iowa’s rate of uninsured is relatively low compared to the rest of the nation.
Ralston found no clear-cut reason why Iowa’s rate of uninsured was rising faster than the rest of the country. She said it could be caused by job losses in the manufacturing sector, which often heave health insurance coverage for employees.
The numbers help highlight that federal health care reforms are needed, she said.
“I think this just paints a poignant picture of why something needs to be done at the federal level,” Ralston said.
Sen. Jack Hatch, a Des Moines Democrat, said he is disheartened that the number of uninsured Iowans is growing.
Hatch has led efforts to expand coverage for Iowa children and said the goal is to have every Iowa child insured by the end of 2010.
Hatch said policymakers underestimated the number of uninsured Iowa children. The number of children signed up this last year for state health insurance coverage exceeded estimates by 7,000. The number of Iowa parents who indicated on 2008 tax returns that their children were uninsured also exceeded expectations by about 10,000.
When adults are included in the picture of uninsured, it’s an even bigger problem in Iowa, Hatch said.
“That just shows even more why we need a national health care policy. We cannot do this alone,” Hatch said.
