What does this measure?
The percentage of people under 65 who are not covered by some form of health insurance, including public programs such as Medicaid and Medicare.
Why is this important?
Health insurance is critical to families' and individuals' access to care, financial security and peace of mind. Those without insurance may delay getting needed care and forgo preventive care altogether, which can lead to medical problems that are more serious and expensive to treat. Insurance allows the often high cost of health services to be spread out over many years and facilitates risk-sharing across the population. Financial ruin can be the result if an uninsured family must cope with a major illness or injury. In addition, charity care provided by hospitals to those without insurance drives up the cost of private insurance and the tax burden.
How is our region doing?
In 2021, 3% of residents under 65 in MetroWest did not have health insurance, on par with the state and lower than the 10% rate for the nation. The three counties all have comparable rates of uninsured people, within one or two percentage points of each other. These rates have declined just slightly since 2008.
Notes about the data
Figures are for people under 65. Figures prior to 2008 are not comparable.
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 17% | 17% | 18% | 17% | 17% | 17% | 14% | 11% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 11% | 10% | 10% |
| Massachusetts | 4% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Region | 4% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Middlesex County | 4% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 2% |
| Norfolk County | 3% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Worcester County | 4% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 3% |
Notes: Figures are for people under 65. Figures prior to 2008 are not comparable.
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 42,872,798 | 45,041,840 | 46,556,803 | 45,725,535 | 44,960,046 | 44,477,970 | 36,013,970 | 29,165,227 | 26,749,668 | 27,423,485 | 27,954,329 | 28,980,723 | 27,895,218 | 27,558,913 |
| Massachusetts | 240,442 | 269,241 | 281,724 | 267,661 | 246,614 | 238,392 | 208,262 | 180,139 | 165,417 | 182,389 | 182,533 | 195,726 | 174,212 | 162,727 |
| Region | 91,870 | 108,583 | 110,141 | 105,232 | 100,016 | 96,287 | 80,962 | 70,519 | 66,128 | 74,263 | 71,376 | 78,592 | 70,424 | 66,844 |
| Middlesex County | 46,587 | 58,629 | 57,135 | 56,751 | 51,888 | 51,171 | 41,504 | 38,311 | 35,016 | 39,769 | 36,691 | 41,317 | 38,428 | 31,725 |
| Norfolk County | 18,772 | 18,417 | 20,373 | 17,676 | 16,599 | 16,995 | 15,531 | 12,222 | 11,891 | 13,022 | 13,767 | 13,598 | 13,253 | 14,027 |
| Worcester County | 26,511 | 31,537 | 32,633 | 30,805 | 31,529 | 28,121 | 23,927 | 19,986 | 19,221 | 21,472 | 20,918 | 23,677 | 18,743 | 21,092 |
Notes: Figures prior to 2008 are not comparable.
| INDICATORS | REGIONAL TREND |
|---|---|
| Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Establishments | Increasing |
| Households Without Vehicles | Maintaining |
| Means of Transportation to Work | Not Applicable |
| Households With Internet Access | Increasing |
| Voter Participation Rate | Decreasing |
| Average Charitable Contribution | Maintaining |
| People Without Health Insurance | Decreasing |
| Opioid Overdose Mortality Rate | Increasing |
| Crimes Against People | Decreasing |
| Incarceration Rates, by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
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