Health Care
Residents are healthy; insurance coverage is broad but declining
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Vermont is one of the nation’s healthiest states, perhaps reflecting a statewide love for outdoor activity and the availability of fresh, local food. Vermont ranks seventh in the nation for the number of residents covered by health insurance. Though ninety-five percent of Vermont’s children are covered by health insurance, the overall number of uninsured Vermonters is increasing at a rate that exceeds 44 other states. Factors contributing to this phenomenon may include Vermont’s high cost of living and the significant number of residents who are either self-employed or employed through microenterprise.
- 11.4% of the state population does not have health insurance. 15% of Vermont residents have so little insurance that a serious illness would bankrupt them.
- Adult Vermonters get more exercise and report better health on average than other U.S. residents. Vermont students weigh less and demonstrate less risk for obesity than their peers in other states.
- Nationwide, the working poor don’t often qualify for federal coverage through Medicaid and Medicare, and they are more than twice as likely to go without coverage as the general population. Healthcare costs are rising more than 10% per year in Vermont, amounting to approximately $1 million per day.
Read more about Vermont healthcare and health insurance in Understanding Vermont or get a copy of the entire publication.