Got health insurance? Depends where you live
Recent data from the U.S. Census showed some stark geographic disparities in who has health insurance coverage and who doesn't.
An analysis by the Associated Press found that people who live in the Southwest are many times more likely to lack health coverage than residents in the Northeast and Midwest. The reason? Varying state laws, job industries and demographics.
The folks at NPR put together a very cool map about how congressional districts stack up. Take a look. (As a reporter who once covered demographics, I admit, I get really geeked about interactive maps!)
In addition, a piece explained how regions with the highest percentage of uninsured people also happen to be the places with the staunchest opposition to health care reform. Huh? you might ask...
Well, here's the crux of it, according to the piece: the voices of the uninsured appear to be drowned out by powerful interests.
It's a basic truth of political analysis that low-income residents — that is, those most likely to be uninsured — are less likely than middle-class people to attend town meetings and less likely to make campaign contributions.
How that shapes out in Maryland is an interesting question. Maryland's has one of the nation's lowest rates of the uninsured -- 12 percent, lower than the national average at 15 percent. Remember those loud protests at town hall meetings against health care reform? They took place in Western Maryland where the uninsured rate is among the highest in the state. Hmmmmmm.
image courtesy of USDA
