The number of uninsured individuals in Missouri is increasing marginally, according to new data released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sixteen percent of Missourians below the age of 65 did not have insurance in 2011, the most recent year for which numbers are available. That’s an increase from 14.3 percent in 2008. The national rate sits above 17 percent.
Under the Affordable Care Act, individuals will be able to buy insurance through exchanges beginning on October 1, according to Missouri Foundation For Health policy analyst Thomas McAuliffe
“A majority of the population in Missouri has insurance. Most of those people get it through their employers. But starting in 2014, both individuals and their employers of purchasing insurance in a marketplace that allows for price comparison and a standardization of an insurance package or benefits package,” McAuliffe said.
In southeast Missouri, Carter, Shannon, Wayne, and Ripley Counties all have uninsured rates above 20 percent.
Cape Girardeau County has among the lowest uninsured rates at 14.6 percent. Other southeast Missouri counties with lower uninsured rates are Ste. Genevieve, Pemiscot, Perry and St. Francois Counties.
The county with the highest percentage of uninsured is McDonald County in southwest Missouri, where a quarter of individuals under 65 do not have insurance.
