SeningerBureau of Business

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Health Insurance Coverage and Montana Kids

• Dr. Steve Seninger, Ph.D.
• Director of Economic Analysis
• Bureau of Business Economic Research
• University of Montana

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Figure 1 Montana Uninsured Rates by Age, 2003
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Who have the Highest UI Rates?

• Young adults-- the ages of 19 and 25, more than
  twice as likely to be uninsured than the general
  population.
•  Montanas American Indian populations uninsured
  rates more than two times higher over statewide
  rate (rate38).

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Montana Uninsured Rates and Numbers by Age, 2003

• All Ages 19 ?173,000 Montanans
• Age 0-18 17 UI41,500
• Age 19-25 39?32,000
• Age 26-49 24?75,000
• Age 50-64 13?24,000
• Age 65 0.5?1,000

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Montanas Uninsured Kids (18 years old and Under)

• 41,500 statewide
• 50 or 21,000 are in Rural areas (which have 42
  of the states kid population)
• 22,000 are below 150 of Federal Poverty
  Level?the poverty threshold for CHIP

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Health Insurance Montanas Urban and Rural Kids
2003

• 15 Urban kids uninsured 20 Rural kids
  uninsured
• 63 Urban kids insured via parents work vs. 50
  for Rural kids
• 8 Urban kids insured via individual policy
  (parents) vs. 12 for Rural kids
• 14 Urban kids Medicaid or CHIP vs. 19 for rural
  kids

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Figure 2 Montana Kids 2003 Uninsured Rates
Federal Poverty Levels (n736)
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Figure 3 Montana Kids 2003 Uninsured Rates
Federal Poverty Levels
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Figure 4 Poverty Rates (2002 FPL) for Montana
Kids 18 and under
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Figure 5 2003 Uninsured Montana Kids (18 and
under) by FPL Thresholds
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Figure 6 Additional Uninsured Montana Kids (18
and under) by FPL Thresholds
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American Indian Kids Insurance Coverage

• American Indian kids10 of 234,000 Montana kids
  or 24,000
• American Indian uninsured rate38 from Household
  Survey?9,000
• Estimated Montana poverty rate (for American Indian kids?
• Most of 9,000 probably CHIP eligible (150FPL)

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Costs of Increased Coverage for Montana Kids

• Baseline 10,704 CHIP kids currently served at
  1,646 per head
• At 150FPL?22,000 at 36.2m Montana
  share7.2m
• At 165FPL?2,700 at 4.4 m?share.9m
• At 185FPL?4,700 at 7.7m share1.6m
• At 200FPL?6,500 at 10.7 share2.1m

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Budget Impact of Increased Coverage for Montana
Kids

• Total Montana share11.8 million ..it would
• Reduce kids uninsured by 80
• Reduce kids uninsured rate from 17 of kids
  population
• 3--one of the lowest in the U.S.
• Demonstrate that Montana believes in investing in
  its economic future