By Elana Gordon
KANSAS CITY, Mo. –
Preliminary data for the 2010 census is in.
Nationwide, the rate of people without insurance remained steady compared to 2009, hovering around 16 percent. The actual number of Americans without insurance in 2010 reached nearly 50 million, up from 49 million in 2009. About 64 percent of Americans who did have health insurance, or about 196,000,000 people, had employer-based coverage. Around 95,000,000, or 31 percent of those insured, had some form of public coverage (ie: Medicare, Medicaid, Military).
Here's a brief bi-state breakdown:
Missouri had an uninsured rate of 14 percent in 2010, encompassing about 835,000 residents. 4,129,000 people, or 69.1 percent of residents who were insured, had private health coverage. 1,756,000 residents, or 29.4 percent of those with insurance, had public coverage.
Kansas' uninsured rate was 12.7 percent in 2010, with around 350,000 people going without coverage. 70.6 percent, or 1,947,000 Kansans with insurance, had private health coverage. 31.2 percent of those with coverage, or 861,000 people, had some form of government coverage.
Next week, the Census Bureau will release more definitive data for 2010 through its American Community Survey.
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