Indicator: Health Care Coverage

Priority or Priorities: Early childhood development
Initiative(s): Task force on early childhood/early childhood systems initiative
Outcome (s): Families living safe and healthy lives

Why This is Important

People with inadequate or no health insurance often forego routine preventive care. Some health problems may not be treated until they become more serious. This adds tremendous cost to an already costly health care system, and can add stress to families’ lives. Parents who are physically ill or suffer from an untreated mental illness do not function well as parents to their children.

Where We Stand

For 2006, an estimated 87.6% of Maine citizens 18 years old and older had health care insurance, a slightly higher percentage than the entire nation.  While Maine’s level of coverage has varied from 86% in 2000 to the present 88%, the national rate of coverage has declined to its lowest level (83%) in the measurement period.

Data Source and Context

The data source for this indicator is the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which is administered and supported by the Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prevalence and trend data is available on-line at http://www.cdc.gov/brfss. Surveillance data comes from a series of monthly telephone interviews with a sample of adults in each state. The U.S. data in the chart are the median value of the 50 state results in each year.