Percentage of insured Frederick County residents rises

Dec. 25--The percentage of uninsured people in Frederick County has steadily decreased since 2012.

According to the most recent census data, which is from 2017, the total percentage of the civilian non-institutionalized population that is uninsured is 5.3 percent.

That's down from 6.1 percent in 2016, and down from 7.8 percent in 2012.

The percentage includes people under 18, typically covered under their parents' insurance or federally covered, or those over 65, a majority of which are enrolled in Medicare. The percentage of people between 18-64 in the county who were uninsured also steadily dropped, according to census data.

In 2017, approximately 7.2 percent of people between 19-64 were uninsured. In 2016, that percentage was 8.1, for people between 18 and 64. In 2012, 10.8 percent of people between 18-64 were uninsured in the county.

Based on early numbers from the open enrollment period, which ended earlier in December, 2018 will likely see a lower rate of uninsurance. Kalie Pearson, a lead health insurance navigator within the Frederick County Health Department, said that there was an 1 percent increase in the number of residents that used the health department's services during open enrollment.

In 2018, 5,982 people used the services to enroll in qualified health insurance plans, up from 5,948 in 2017, she said.

It's an encouraging sign that more people are enrolling in healthcare, Pearson said. It means less costs for hospitals and means more people have access to preventative care, she said.

Frederick makes up about 3 percent of the state's uninsured rate, she said. That's lower than neighboring Montgomery County, which makes up 20 percent. Washington County makes up 2.3 percent, and Carroll County is 1.5 percent, she said.

Overall in Maryland, enrollment numbers for people purchasing private health insurance, not provided by employers, was up, according to an article in The Baltimore Sun. That may be in part due to lower premiums, or the monthly costs of the plan, which were lower this year.

"It helps to make the costs of the plans more affordable, so if it's less taxing on an individual's budget, they're more likely to sign up," Pearson said.

People did receive less federal assistance for the health insurance plans because of the lowered premiums, but it was not proportional so plans were still cheaper, Pearson said.

The decrease in the percentage of Frederick County's population that is uninsured is likely linked to the Affordable Care Act, said Lauren Hart, medical care program supervisor with the health department.

While over there has been a decrease, there are still pockets of Frederick County with high rates of uninsurance, according to census data. Approximately 85 percent of the Hispanic population in the county had insurance compared to 95.3 percent of the white population.

Foreign-born, non-citizens also had a high rate of uninsurance, 29.2 percent, compared to naturalized citizens not born in the U.S., 7.4 percent, and native citizens, 3.9 percent.

The open enrollment period ended Dec. 15 for Maryland, which means people cannot purchase qualified health insurance plan unless there is a special exception like someone turns 26, people get married or people get divorced, Pearson said.

For those that qualify, medical assistance enrollment is year-round, Hart said. People can go to the health department for assistance in determining if they are eligible.

Follow Heather Mongilio on Twitter: @HMongilio.

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