Hawaiʻi No. 2 in US for Least Uninsured Residents

Average uninsured rate for states that have expended medicaid versus states that have not expended medicaid as of 2016. Graphic courtesy of WalletHub.

According to a new study released by WalletHub, Hawaiʻi ranks second in the nation among the states with the lowest number of residents without health insurance.

Analysis by the online finance website showed that only 3.53 percent of Hawaiʻi’s population are uninsured. That number reflects a 4.36 percent decrease in uninsured residents in the Aloha State between 2010 and 2016, according to WalletHub.

The nationwide study compared rates of uninsured residents across all 50 states, as well as 547 U.S. cities. No Hawaiʻi cities were listed in the top rankings. The study also analyzed uninsured rates according to race, age and income level. According to the findings, 2.2 percent of children in Hawaiʻi are uninsured; 3.9 percent of Hawaiʻi adults are uninsured; and 3.4 percent of those residents identify as a white.

Uninsurance rates nationwide dipped to a record low of 8.6 percent in early 2016, according to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of 2017, rates are back on the rise, according to WalletHub.