By Tim Brown, Operations Manager, County Information Project

Health Insurance by County

The United States Bureau of the Census recently released estimates of the number of people under age 65 without health insurance by county. The first map shows that most of the counties where more than 30 percent have no insurance are in the western half of the state. As the map shows, only 10 counties in Texas fall in the 20 percent and lower range (lower percentages indicate more people have health insurance which is good for anyone who provides indigent health care).

Most of the counties under 20 percent are east of I-35; however, that does not indicate that the eastern counties are necessarily doing well. Nationally, only 17.2 percent of the under 65 population have no health insurance compared to 26.3 percent in Texas. Only four Texas counties had percentages under the national average: Bowie (16.7 percent), Collin, (16.4), Orange (15.8) and Williamson (17.0).

It is not entirely surprising that many of the counties with higher percentages are found near the border or in the western part of the state. Median1 incomes in these areas are often lower than in the remainder of the state. In addition, the population is typically younger along the border as evidenced by the area’s typically lower median ages. The larger proportion of young people, which would include children, may have impacted the estimates for the population that is both under age 65 and is either at or below 200 percent of the 2005 federal poverty level.

The estimates for this low income population are shown in the second map. Contrary to expectations, this group actually had a lower percentage without health insurance than the general under-65 population in every county in the state. Statewide, 16.1 percent of this population had no insurance compared to only 9.4 percent nationally. Four counties came in at or below the national average: Bowie (9.4 percent), Collin (9.2), Orange (8.8) and Williamson (9.1).

As with the general population, most of the counties with the highest percentages show up in the western half of the state just like in the first map.