Health insurance coverage in NE varies by location

As communities across the U.S. gear up for an influx of insurance shoppers in December, just two months after Healthcare.gov’s rollout and within days of the administration’s website repairs, customers in Nebraska appear to be more successful than other states depending on where residents live, according to The Associated Press.

Although the highest number of uninsured residents hail from Omaha and Lincoln, numbers of those without coverage remain elevated in rural areas of Nebraska as well. However, despite the number of citizens who lack coverage, the state’s rate of insured is still lower than the national average, at 13.3 percent.

Contributing to the ranking above the national average is a mandated provision from the Affordable Care Act which requires citizens to buy insurance plans or face hefty fines, a policy that state officials are encouraging citizens to participate in.

In areas such as Blaine County the highest rate of uninsured individuals in the state can be found, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011 Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, the most recent statistics available.

Coverage appears to vary, depending on location. For example, those who dwell in rural areas such as farmers or mom-and-pop storefronts, report having difficulties affording the new healthcare plans and add to the state’s uninsured figures. However, counties located near large urban areas with populations over 12,000, such as Washington, Sarpy, Seward and Hamilton, rates for uninsured drop substantially, with only 8.9 percent.