September 22, 2009 07:21 PM UTC

Denver Post: 1 in 6 Coloradans are Uninsured

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• by: Colorado Pols

Front page news in today’s Denver Post:

Colorado has huge disparities in the number of uninsured residents, ranging from almost one in four in Aurora to one in 20 in Highlands Ranch, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released today.

Economists said lower-paying jobs in Aurora, younger residents and an influx of immigrant families account for much of the disparity in health-insurance coverage…

…Today’s report is the first time the Census Bureau has released data on health insurance for cities and counties with more than 65,000 people, and for congressional districts.

Overall, 17.2 percent, or about one in six Coloradans, did not have any health insurance last year. That is above the national average and the 16th-highest rate among the 50 states, the figures showed.

State demographer Elizabeth Garner said Colorado’s above-average rate may be the result of its disproportionate number of small businesses.

Insurance-industry experts say small businesses have suffered the most in the economic crisis, contributing to the increase in the number of uninsured.

“They are smaller and run on thinner margins,” said Neil Waldron, chief marketing officer of Rocky Mountain Health Plans.

The Census Bureau figures found Aurora and Denver had the highest uninsured rates, 23.3 percent and 22.6 percent, respectively.