The state average of uninsured people in Pennsylvania is 8.2 percent, according to the 2008 Health Insurance Survey commissioned by the state. Franklin County’s average is 11.5 percent uninsured, ranking it in the top 10 uninsured counties in the state.
Of the 32,956 people age 0-18 in 2008, 2,225 were uninsured — or 7 percent (the state average for this age group is 5 percent). Of the 84,171 people age 19-64 in Franklin County in 2008, 13,814 — or 16 percent — were uninsured, according to the state. The state average for this age group was 12 percent.
The cost of health insurance remains the primary barrier to coverage, according to the state. Those more likely to be uninsured include residents age 19-44, males, Hispanic residents, and those whose family income is less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
Of those uninsured in the 12 months prior to the survey who had insurance some time during that period, three quarters had private health insurance.
At the time of the 2008 survey, a large percentage of the uninsured only recently lost their health insurance coverage.
In the survey, nearly three quarters of those not insured indicated they pay out of pocket when they go to the doctor or to
the hospital. Of the remaining group, 11 percent say they simply do not go to the doctor or receive care.
