Mary Alice Lee, Ph.D. and Joachim Hero, M.P.H.

This brief summarizes two sets of uninsured estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS) indicate that in 2008, an estimated 44,000 Connecticut children under 18 (5.4%) were uninsured for the entire year. The 2-year average uninsured rates for all persons and for children in Connecticut in 2007-08 were essentially unchanged from previous years.

For the first time, the US Census Bureau has included a question on insurance status in its annual American Community Survey (ACS). The question asks whether the person is currently covered by any type of insurance, so the results are not directly comparable to data from the CPS, which asks about insurance status for the entire previous year. Statewide, an estimated 311,000 people (9.0%) were uninsured in 2008, including about 39,500 children (4.9%). Among cities, the estimated uninsured rate for New Haven children was lower than the average for large Connecticut cities.

The brief includes recommendations for enrolling and retaining uninsured children in the HUSKY health insurance program. (October 2009)

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