Anxiety over health care costs reverberates throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley and affects residents from all walks of life. As noted, making health care more affordable is now the number one priority for the public, and making health insurance easier to get is also a pressing concern.
For many residents, this issue hits close to home. Nearly one-quarter of all Mid-Hudson Valley households have a member who has not had continuous health insurance coverage and, therefore, has experienced a gap in that coverage at some point in the past year. 12% of all households have at least one member who is currently uninsured.
Many children in the Mid-Hudson Valley lack health care coverage. 15% of households have at least one child who has experienced a gap in coverage over the past year, and 7% of households include a child who is not currently insured.
Given the high proportion of the population that lives without continuous health insurance coverage, it is not surprising that about half of all Mid-Hudson Valley residents rate making health care more affordable with a 10, the highest possible score on the rating scale. Read more
Making health insurance easier to get is also an important issue for many residents of the Mid-Hudson Valley. It ranks among the top five priorities for the region. Read more
A majority of Mid-Hudson Valley residents feel positively about the quality of health care services in their community although only 5% believe they are of excellent caliber. 41% rate these services as fair or poor. Read more
Mid-Hudson Valley residents are generally divided about whether or not the level of local funding allocated for health care services is adequate. 43% believe not enough is being spent on health care services, and 46% think the current level of funding is on target. Read more
Households with Gaps in Health Insurance Coverage (This section may be found in Health Matters) Maintaining continuous health insurance coverage throughout the year is a challenge for a considerable proportion of Mid-Hudson Valley households. 24% of all households in the region have experienced some interruption in coverage over the past year. This includes both adults and children who do not have health insurance at present and households, while currently insured, have had at least one member without coverage during the past year. Using the U.S. Census, this means approximately 96,250 of the estimated 401,049 households in the region face the challenge of maintaining uninterrupted health coverage for all household members. Read more
Children with Gaps in Health Insurance Coverage (This section may be found in Health Matters) Over four in ten households in the Mid-Hudson region include children. 15% of these households go without continuous health insurance. Using the U.S. Census, approximately 22,300 of the estimated 148,682 households with children in the Mid-Hudson Valley currently have a child who is uninsured or has experienced at least one break in health insurance over the past year. Read more
Households Currently without Health Insurance (This section may be found in Health Matters) Not unlike 2002, 12% of households in the Mid-Hudson region include at least one member who is currently without health insurance. Using the U.S. Census, approximately 48,125 households of the estimated 401,049 households in the region have at least one adult or child who does not have health insurance. Read more
Health Care Costs as a Strain on Household Finances (This section may be found in Health Matters) For many Mid-Hudson Valley residents who struggle to make ends meet, the cost of health care and health insurance constitute a considerable burden. 35% of Mid-Hudson Valley residents say medical expenses, independent of health insurance, place a financial strain on their household budget each month. This includes 15% of residents in the region that experience a great deal of financial pressure from these expenses and another 20% that report a good amount of financial stress. Read more
Health Insurance as a Strain on Household Finances (This section may be found in Health Matters) Paying for health insurance creates financial hardship for 41% of Mid-Hudson Valley residents. This includes 18% of residents in the region who report these costs place a great deal of stress on their household budget and 23% who experience a good amount of financial strain. There is little difference in these results across the seven counties in the Mid-Hudson region. Read more
In the past year, one in ten Mid-Hudson Valley residents did not purchase needed medicine because they did not have enough money to pay for it. Read more
Overall, health care issues are now top of mind for many Mid-Hudson Valley residents. People throughout the region consider the cost of health care to be a significant priority, if not the top priority, for their community to address. There is a general consensus that more needs to be done to make health insurance more accessible.
While health care is a major concern for all segments of the population, those who are financially at risk are most concerned about these issues.
Residents generally feel positively about the health care services in their area but they are not enthusiastic about them. A substantial proportion of the population thinks more money needs to be set aside to improve current services.
Many Mid-Hudson Valley residents are struggling to pay for health care and health insurance. Residents throughout the region value affordable health care and increased access to health insurance. They view these issues as important priorities for their community.
While many residents were concerned about these issues in 2002, it is clear from the results of this current survey that concerns have intensified over the past five years.
Although most residents are insured and able to obtain care when needed, a considerable segment of the population cannot afford medical treatment and are either uninsured or have experienced gaps in their health care coverage over the past year. The proportion of residents in the region currently experiencing this problem has remained unchanged since 2002.
Many residents describe medical expenses as a major strain on their household finances. About one in ten residents has been forced to forgo basic medical needs because they do not have enough money to pay for them.
The cost of health care and the lack of accessibility to health insurance affect residents from many backgrounds. However, as this study reveals, certain segments of the population are likely to struggle with these more issues than others. In particular, the uninsured and those who have had gaps in their health care coverage are disproportionately from households with low income, adult members under thirty, Latino residents, and immigrants.
