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More than one million Virginians are uninsured. The health care others take for granted is unavailable to them.
VHCF is dedicated to helping build and strengthen Virginia's health safety net to increase access to care statewide.
Who are Virginia's Uninsured?
VHCF's Profile of the Uninsured reveals that:
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One in five Virginia adults is uninsured, as are one in 11 Virginia children.
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The vast majority of uninsured Virginians are employed, living in households in which at least one family member works full-time (70%) or part-time (12%).
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The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis documented disturbing trends regarding Virginia's uninsured drawn from the U.S. Census Department Report: Income, Poverty, and
Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007.
Findings in the Commonwealth Institute's report, New Census
Data Shows Growing Poverty in Virginia
Despite Gains in
Median Income, More Virginians Live in Poverty,
and the
Number of Uninsured Grows, include:
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While the number of uninsured nationally has fallen, the number of
uninsured Virginians continues to climb.
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The number of uninsured in the state topped 1
million for the second year in a row in 2007, increasing to 1,135,000. |
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The percentage of the total Virginia population that is uninsured rose from 13.3% in 2006 to 14.8% in 2007. |
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The number of working Virginians getting health insurance through their job has decreased: in 2006, 66.7% received coverage through their jobs while, in 2007, only 61.9% did. |
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Although Virginia has a lower uninsured rate than the national average, the percentage of uninsured has significantly increased over the past eight years.
- In 2000-2001, 10.3% of the population was without health insurance coverage.
- By 2006-2007, the percentage had risen to 14.1%.
- Over that same time period, the national uninsured rate has increased from 13.9% to 15.3%.
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Since the end of the last economic expansion, in 2000, almost 700,000 additional Virginia residents have
become uninsured. |
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Virginia’s employer provided health insurance coverage substantially declined in 2007. Only 61.9 percent of Virginians had health insurance through their employer in 2007, 4.8 percentage points less than in 2006. |
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The number and percentage of uninsured are expected to continue to rise in 2008 and 2009, as the effects of the current economic downturn are measured.
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A related report from The Commonwealth Institute, The Growing Divide: The State Of Working Virginia, also found that:
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The percentage of the state’s working population that obtains health insurance through their employer has decreased from its peak of 70 percent in 1979 to 57 percent in 2005. |
Health Insurance Coverage in America, released in 2008 by the Kaiser Family Foundation, provides a detailed demographic analysis of the insured and uninsured in the U.S.
What are the Consequences of Being Uninsured?
Dying for Coverage in Virginia, a 2008 report by Families USA, estimated that:
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As many as 10 working-age Virginians die each week because they lack health insurance -- most from diseases that could have been treated easily if caught early. |
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Between 2000 and 2006, an estimated 3,200-plus Virginians aged 25-64 died because they did not have health insurance. |
VHCF's Virginia Health Access Survey details how those without insurance are substantially more likely to forego needed medical care, prescriptions and dental care:
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15.9% were unable to obtain needed health care. |
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27.6% were unable to obtain prescriptions due to costs. |
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55.2% were unable to visit a dentist regularly. |
The Institute of Medicine Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance, found that working-age Americans without health insurance are more likely to:
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Receive too little medical care and receive it too late; |
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Be sicker and die sooner. |
How is VHCF helping Virginia's Uninsured?
Both through grantmaking and through innovative VHCF initiatives, the Virginia Health Care Foundation plays a pivotal role in strengthening Virginia's health safety net to help make primary care available to all who need it.
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VHCF's Children's Health Insurance Initiative has played a critical role in a statewide effort to enroll eligible children in state-sponsored health insurance (FAMIS and FAMIS Plus). More than 40,000 children have been enrolled through VHCF projects. |
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VHCF grants totaling more than $36.8 million have increased access to medical, dental and mental health care for uninsured Virginians. |
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The Pharmacy Connection, VHCF's flagship program to obtain free medications for eligible, uninsured Virginians, has provided more than 150,000 uninsured Virginians with over $500,000 million in free prescription medications. |
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