Health Needs Assessment Shows Sharp Decline In Local Uninsured

Considerably more residents in the Western Upper Peninsula have health insurance now compared to three years ago.

That’s the findings being reported by the Western U.P. Health Department from a comprehensive assessment of community health needs.

Ten healthcare organizations participated in the survey.

The report shows that the rate of adults age 18 to 64 with no health insurance declined sharply from an estimated 18.6 percent to 8.5 percent, mainly due to the Affordable Care Act.

Although most residents now have health insurance, the cost of co-pays and deductibles still poses a barrier to seeking care for many, and all counties have federal designations for health professional shortages for primary care, mental health and dental health.

The complete report is available to the public for download here.