August 26, 2008 Mass. has lowest percentage of uninsured in nation

(NECN) - The U.S. Census Bureau has found the state of Massachusetts had the lowest percentage of uninsured in the nation for 2006-2007.

The Census Bureau found the state’s average uninsured rate for the years 2006 and 2007 dropped to 7.9 percent. Massachusetts was previously seventh in the country with an uninsured rate of 10.3 percent for the two-year period between 2004 and 2005.

The federal survey counts anyone who didn’t have insurance anytime during the year as uninsured. State officials credit the opening of the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, which began enrolling people in its Commonwealth Care program in October 2006 while the expansion of MassHealth, the state Medicaid program, began several months earlier.

“This is one more indicator of the tremendous strides Massachusetts is making to reduce the ranks of the uninsured,” said Health Connector Executive Director Jon Kingsdale in a press release. “And we’re doing it with a robust combination of government-subsidized and private insurance.”