Census issues health coverage estimates by county

The U.S. Census Bureau on Oct. 9 released new state and county estimates of health insurance coverage by demographic characteristics. The Small Area Health Insurance Estimates provide 2005 data on health insurance coverage by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, and income at the state-level, and by age, sex, and income at the county-level.

“Analysts and policymakers can use this information to target outreach activities and other intervention strategies to increase coverage and access to needed health care services,” said Lynn Blewett, director of the State Health Access Data Assistance Center in Minneapolis. The estimates are based on data from a variety of sources, including the Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey, Census 2000, the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program, the County Business Patterns data set and administrative records, such as aggregated federal tax returns and Medicaid participation records.