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Lack of Health Insurance measures the percentage
of population not covered by private or public health insurance. Individuals without health
insurance have great difficulty accessing the health care system and frequently do not
participate in preventive care programs.
Table 23 displays the 2004 ranks, based on 2003 data (March 2004 Current Population Survey,
Washington, D.C., U.S. Census Bureau). Scores ranged from 8.7 percent in Minnesota to more
than 20 percent in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The national average is 15.6
percent uninsured, up 0.4 percent from the 2003 Edition and up 2.2 percent since 1990.
In the last year, the rate of uninsured population decreased in 11 states including Wyoming
(decreased by 1.8 percent), Texas (decreased by 1.2 percent) and Vermont (decreased by 1.2 percent).
The rate of uninsured population increased in 38 states, including an increase of 3 or more percent
in Montana and Oklahoma.
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