Running head: M2A1: US Census Data Search 1

M2A1: US Census Data Search

name

Excelsior College

Author Note

This paper was prepared for HSC305: Critical Issues in Health Care Management
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The focus of my search was based on insurance coverage for black Americans

noninstitutionalized in the state of Maryland. My results provided a report titled, “B27001B-

Health Insurance Coverage Status By Age (Black Or African American Alone)”. The black

population in Maryland totals 1,698,657 people. The report yielded three facts that were a

surprise is first the population of blacks living in Maryland over the age of 65 is 162,240;

Second, the number of those without insurance was 2,930 vs. those with insurance 159,310; and

lastly the gap of between those with insurance and without smaller than I realized. However,

there is an opportunity to assist those without insurance ("American FactFinder - Results," n.d.).

The data set showed that the largest age group among blacks without insurance is

between the ages of 25 to 34. The number of blacks with health insurance is 232,324 and those

without insurance are 49,810 ("American FactFinder - Results," n.d.). The second largest group

without health coverage is 45-54 years of age with more than 33,000 without health care. This

information was surprising as these sub-groups would have the ability to be employed.

The information gathered from the Centers for Disease Control National Center for

Health Statics provided general information regarding the target group and in my case the age

population of 65 and over. I was not able to sort by race and state. The trend I was able to gather

is the poor over the age of 65 + was less likely to obtain the vaccinations for influenza. The poor

receive the vaccination at a rate of 55.2% and the non-poor 70.6% (Centers for Disease Control

National Center for Health Statistics, 2011). It is possible that those who have insurance are not

aware of the potential benefits of obtaining the vaccination for influenza.

In the paper titled, Trends and Characteristics of US Emergency Department Visits, 1997-

2007, shows an increase in “annual visits to US EDs from an estimated 94.9 million to an

estimated 116.8 million, an increase of 23.1%” of noninstitutionalized populations (Tang et al.,

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2010, p.2). The number of uninsured “increased from 28.5 million in 1999 to 42.6 million in

2008. Blacks would go the emergency department twice as often as Hispanics in 1997 (Tang et

al., 2010, p.2). The age population of 65 and over has seen an increase the number of the

emergency department from 14.8 million in 1997 to 17.5 million in 2007. The black

demographic would visit the emergency department in 20.6 million in 1997 to 27.9 million in

2007 (Tang et al., 2010, p.12). This information could point to the need for more ambulatory

sites or more proactive measures to ensure people do not overuse the Emergency Departments.

The local, federal and state governments could reallocate monies towards the

preventative programs and education. Tang et al. (2010) cites

Improvements in preventive screening and chronic disease management, access to

primary care, and prescription drug coverage might have offset the increased demand for

ED services that might have been expected due to increasing number and severity of

chronic medical conditions in older persons over the past decade.

The national demographics can provide a comparison and benchmark of how other states

are handling their uninsured population. Best practices can be shared and learned from others

who are outperforming. Healthcare managers must look at trends and work to create proactive

programs designed to keep patients out of the hospital but to empowerment them to take control

of their health care. Increase access to primary care physicians to avoid overuse of the local

emergency departments. The American health care system has been reactive to the health care

needs of the population. Education of heath care staff and the community would go a long way in

creating partnerships to reduce the number of those without insurance coverage.

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References

American FactFinder - Results. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_3YR_
B27001B&prodType=table

Centers for Disease Control National Center for Health Statistics. (2011). Focusing on what is
available through the NCHS and in particular the FastStats web pages. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/

Tang, N., Stein, J., Hsia, R.Y., Maselli, J.H., & Gonzalez, R. (2010). Trends and characteristics of
US emergency department visits, 1997-2007. JAMA, 304(6), 664-670. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3123697/