Become Informed

printer friendly version  download pdf version

Fact Sheets

Facts About the Uninsured in DC

• In 2004, there were 79,000 residents of the District who were uninsured. (1)



• In 2002 and 2003, there were 76,840 District residents without insurance. Of these, 10%, or 12,290, were children under age 18. The balance were adults aged 19—64. (2)



• About one-third (32%) of Latino residents aged 18—64 are uninsured. This is three times the rate for African Americans (10%) and eight times the rates for whites (4%). (2)



• About 14% of poor residents and 16% of near poor residents age 18-64 are uninsured, three times the rate for higher-income residents. (2)



• There is a strong correlation between unemployment and residents’ ability to obtain adequate health care. In 2000, 22% of Ward 8 residents were unemployed compared to 9.6% in Ward 6. Ward 7 residents were unemployed two times more than Ward 4 residents (14% versus 6.6%). (2)



• Fewer District residents are covered by employer-sponsored health insurance than elsewhere. (2)



• The uninsured in DC rely on emergency rooms (21%) and hospital outpatient departments or clinics (32%). (2)



• Low-income areas of the city consistently have worse health outcomes and less access to health care than other areas of the city. (3)



• Just over 30%, or 13,044, of uninsured adults in 2003 lived in a household with at least one child. (4)



• There were 24,855 uninsured working adults in 2003. (4)



• The District of Columbia was one of the states in which the lowest percentage of uninsured adults reported poor or fair health status. The DC percentage was 10.9%. (4)

Sources: (1) The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Coverage and Access of Adults in the District of Columbia: Key Facts; (2) Mayor Anthony A. Williams, District of Columbia’s State Planning Grant for the Uninsured Fiscal Year 2003 through 2004; (3) DC Primary Care Association, Where we are. Where we need to go. The Primary Care Safety Net in the District of Columbia 2005 Update; (4) State Health Access Data Center, University of Minnesota, Characteristics of the Uninsured: A View from the States.