Arizona Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Arizona?

Arizona is ranked as the 33rd healthiest state to live in for the second year, according to a 2008 study by the United Health Foundation.

The good news:

• The state was ranked 8th among all states in terms of graduation rates (with 84.7 percent of incoming 9th graders graduating within four years). That percentage increased by 27 percent over the previous year.
• Its low rate of preventable hospitalizations gave it the 9th best ranking of the 50 states.
• Since 1990, the state's incidence of infectious disease has decreased by 82 percent.

The bad news:

• In the past year, the state's rating for prevalence of smoking has dropped 12 spots to 25th of the 50 states.

The state's best and worst category ratings:

• Cancer deaths – 5th
• Cardiovascular deaths – 7th
• High school graduation – 8th (84.7 percent of ninth graders eventually graduate)
• Preventable hospitalizations – 9th
• Public health funding dollars per person – 40th
• Number of primary care physicians – 43rd
• Lack of health insurance – 45th

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Arizona.

Does Arizona have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

No, Arizona does not offer a risk pool for its citizen's who are medically-uninsurable.

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state-to-state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the poolto keep it in the black. In the best cases they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Find more on risk pools here.

Mini-meds a guaranteed-issue option for those who are medically uninsurable

An option for the medically uninsurable is a guaranteed-issue mini-med health insurance plan. There is no underwriting and no health questions are asked.

These plans provide basic coverage but are not designed to help with catastrophic expenses. They can often count as creditable coverage, eliminating the waiting period for pre-existing conditions if you later move to an employer-based plan. Read more here.

Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in Arizona

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Cover The Uninsured's facts on the uninsured in Arizona and all other states.
• Its guide on how to find health insurance in Arizona.
• Materiales En Español – Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

USNews health insurance rankings for Arizona

US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state. Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in Arizona.

Official State Goverment Sites with Arizona Health Insurance Information

Arizona State Department of Health Services -- Official government Web site for department responsible for health care services for Arizonans. -- Español
Arizona Department of Health Services:
150 North 18th Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
General and Public Information: (602) 542-1000
Fax: (602) 542-0883

Arizona Department of Insurance main page. Resources for consumers, insurers and producers for Arizona health insurance or medical insurance.

Consumer Information from the Arizona State Department of Insurance -- Health insurance topics and information geared specially for consumers.
For insurance questions/problems...
Phoenix Area: (602) 912-8444
Tucson Area: (520) 628-6370
Statewide: 1-800-325-2548