What does this measure?
The percentage of people under 65 who are not covered by some form of health insurance, including public programs such as Medicaid and Medicare.
Why is this important?
Health insurance is critical to families' and individuals' access to care, financial security and peace of mind. Those without insurance may delay getting needed care and forgo preventive care altogether, which can lead to medical problems that are more serious and expensive to treat. Insurance allows the often high cost of health services to be spread out over many years and facilitates risk-sharing across the population. Financial ruin can be the result if an uninsured family must cope with a major illness or injury. In addition, charity care provided by hospitals to those without insurance drives up the cost of private insurance and the tax burden.
How is Westchester County performing?
In 2019, 6% of residents under 65 in Westchester County did not have health insurance, on par with the state and lower than the 11% rate for the nation. Both Westchester and Rockland counties had the highest rates of uninsured residents in the region at 6%, followed by Nassau at 5% and Putnam at 4%. From 2008 to 2019, the percentage of residents under 65 without health insurance declined by 5-6 points in all the regional counties.
Notes about the data
Figures are for people under 65. Figures prior to 2008 are not comparable.
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westchester County | 12% | 12% | 13% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 10% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 6% | 6% |
| Nassau County | 10% | 10% | 12% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 7% | 7% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Putnam County | 10% | 8% | 10% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 7% | 6% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 4% |
| Rockland County | 11% | 11% | 12% | 12% | 11% | 11% | 9% | 8% | 7% | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| New York State | 13% | 13% | 14% | 13% | 13% | 12% | 10% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 6% | 6% |
Notes: Figures are for people under 65. Figures prior to 2008 are not comparable.
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westchester County | 95,196 | 96,861 | 100,338 | 96,658 | 97,487 | 94,603 | 81,967 | 66,058 | 61,342 | 55,634 | 45,723 | 45,099 |
| Nassau County | 115,399 | 119,919 | 129,594 | 112,045 | 111,382 | 114,757 | 80,572 | 73,340 | 56,454 | 60,098 | 51,352 | 53,385 |
| Putnam County | 8,582 | 6,885 | 8,472 | 7,778 | 7,875 | 7,566 | 6,069 | 4,559 | 3,959 | 4,031 | 3,426 | 3,369 |
| Rockland County | 29,216 | 27,123 | 32,426 | 31,219 | 28,949 | 30,243 | 24,101 | 20,496 | 17,759 | 16,379 | 14,494 | 15,161 |
| New York State | 2,156,461 | 2,172,693 | 2,245,437 | 2,155,975 | 2,073,007 | 2,036,206 | 1,654,986 | 1,351,396 | 1,151,995 | 1,079,651 | 1,007,242 | 973,636 |
Notes: Figures prior to 2008 are not comparable.
