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UHPP Says Uninsured Numbers Higher Than Estimated

None by Eric Ray

(KCPW News) The Utah Health Policy Project estimates that nearly 400,000 Utahns lacked health insurance last year, a number much higher than the estimate of 306,500 released yesterday by the Utah Department of Health.

Judi Hilman, Executive Director of the UHPP, says their estimate is based on the current population survey from the census. She says Utah's increase was seven times that of the national rate and a major percentage of that increase comes from small businesses that simply can't pay the rising cost of healthcare.

UHPP is working on a proposal called the Utah Health Cooperative. It calls for physicians to work to lower their administrative overhead, share risks and more efficiently determine the costs of health care. More information about the Utah Health Cooperative is available online at www.utahhealthalliance.org


Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2009 KCPW

1. Norman Thurston said:

Note: The methodology used by the Utah Department of Health's Office of Public Health Assessment is more accurate in estimating this figure. Utah's data suggests two different findings from those presented here: 1) Utah's increase is not higher than the national average, and 2) most of the increase in Utah is attributable to increases in the number of uninsured children.

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