Health coverage source shifts from private to public

A new statewide poll shows that as fewer Ohioans get coverage from their employers, more are getting it from public sources, including Medicare and Medicaid.

“What we’re seeing in Ohio is no different from what’s happening across the country,” said Jennifer Chubinski, director of community research for the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, which sponsors the Ohio Health Issues Poll.

The poll, conducted between May 29 and June 6, found that 21 percent of Ohioans ages 18 to 64 get insurance from a public source, compared to 12 percent in 2006.

In that same group, 53 percent get insurance through their own or their spouse’s employer, compared to 64 percent in 2006.

The number of Ohio adults without health insurance of any kind has remained stable at about 17 percent since 2007.

The poll didn’t ask whether the shift in employer-based coverage was due to an increase in employers dropping coverage or an increase in people losing coverage as a result of job loss.

“We can’t say from the data, but my hunch is it’s both,” Chubinski said. “These trends are just one of the signs of the problems of the increasing cost of health care.”

In the Dayton area, 77.2 percent of adults are currently insured, but 9.7 were uninsured at some point in the year before the poll was taken. The poll also found that 51.2 percent of Dayton-area respondents get coverage their own employer, while 19.8 get it through their spouse’s job; 8.6 percent purchase their own plan; 6.5 percent have Medicare and 11 percent have Medicaid.

Since it’s easier to get health care with health insurance, Chubinski said, there’s “a strong connection between adults’ health status and whether they have health insurance.”

The poll found that 11 percent of adults reporting excellent or very good health status were uninsured, while 26 percent of the adults who reported fair or poor health status were uninsured.

About the Author