Health Care Coverage
The U.S. Census Current Population Survey (CPS) reported that 83.2% of Arizona residents (based on total population estimates) had some type of health care coverage in 2002 (up from 75.5% in 1997)[1]. Health care coverage includes both private insurance and publicly funded health care options (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare, Veteran Affairs, TRICARE, and Indian Health Service). The percentage figure given excludes those who received care from various safety net providers, such as Federally Qualified Community Health Centers, rural health clinics, free or low cost clinics, school-based health clinics, public health clinics, and uncompensated care provided by hospitals and physicians.
National statistics for the total population, from 1997 to 2002, indicate a consistently higher percentage of health care coverage for the U.S. as a whole than for Arizona. Figure 1 describes the trends for selected health care coverage programs in Arizona from 1997 to 2002.
Figure 1. Selected Health Care Coverage Program Estimates
in Arizona: 1997-2002*
Source: U. S. Census Bureau: Health Insurance Historical Table 4
*Revised Census Numbers for 1999 and 2000
The U.S. Census Bureau website provides state and national health care coverage comparison data at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins.html.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that U.S. health care expenditures reached $1.6 trillion (an average of $5,440 per person) in 2002, up 9.3 % from 2001[2]. This figure represents 14.9% of the national gross domestic product (GDP), which measures the market value of goods and services produced by labor and property located within a country. In the private sector, of the 54% expended ($839.6 billion), $549.6 billion (65.5%) was spent on private health insurance premiums. Consumer out-of-pocket expenditures accounted for another 14% of the total health expenditures. Forty-six percent of U.S. health expenditures were paid by the public sector ($713.4 billion: Medicare - 17%, Medicaid -16%, and other public programs - 13%).
1. Private Health Insurance
2. Publicly-Subsidized Private Health Insurance Coverage
3. Publicly-Sponsored Health Care Coverage
4. Safety Net
5. The Uninsured Population
