District of Columbia Health Insurance

How healthy is living in District of Columbia?

The District of Columbia is not rated by the annual United Health Foundation ranking that identifies the healthiest states because its highly urban nature makes it distinctively unique from the states. However, the foundation does include data about the the District of Columbia.

The good news:

• In terms of availability of primary care physicians per 100,000 population, the District actual would have been ranked first in the nation, with 320 per 100,000. Next best? Massachusetts with 190.
• When it came to health insurance coverage, the District continued to improve as the percentage of uninsured dropped from 10.5 percent in 2008 to 9.8 percent in 2009.
• Smoking appears to be on the decline, falling from 22 percent to 16.2 percent in the past five years. Immunization coverage, meanwhile, is on the rise, up from 49.8 percent to 78.6 percent in the past five years.

The bad news:

• The percentage of the District's children in poverty was a dismal 29 percent – the worst in the nation.
• Not surprisingly, prenatal care continues to be an issue as well, with just 53.9 percent of pregnant women in D.C. receiving adequate prenatal care – again, the worst ranking in the nation.
• Infant mortality? You guessed it – also the worst ranking in the nation, with 12.6 deaths per 1,000 live births.
• D.C.'s high violent crime rate is still off the charts – and ranked dead last – with 1,437 offenses per 100,000 population.
• Not surprisingly, the premature death rate – measuring potential life lost before age 75 – continues to be staggering (12,702 years lost per 100,000 population), and D.C. would have been ranked last of the states.

The Districts's best and worst category ratings:

• Primary care physicians (320 per 100,000) – 1st
• Prevalence of obesity (22.3%) – 5th
• Lack of health insurance (9.8%) – 8th
• Prevalence of smoking (16.2%) – 10th
• Preventable hospitalizations (59.2%) – 10th
• High school graduation (65.4%) – 45th
• Children in poverty (29.0%) – 51st
• Violent crime (1,437 per 100,000) – 51st
• Premature death (12,702 years lost) – 51st
• Infant mortality – 51st
• Prenatal care (53.9%) – 51st

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on District of Columbia.

Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in District of Columbia

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 District of Columbia and all other states.
• Its guide on how to find health insurance in District of Columbia.
• Materiales En Español – Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

News headlines on District of Columbia health insurance

Find the most recent headlines on health insurance in District of Columbia at Google News or Yahoo News.

USNews health insurance rankings for District of Columbia

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 District of Columbia.

Official District Goverment Sites with Health Insurance Information

Department of Health
doh.dc.gov
Phone: (202) 442-5955
Fax: (202) 442-4788
825 North Capitol Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002

Designs public health systems, diagnoses and investigates health threats, develops policy, provides education and disease prevention, and administers the low-income Medicaid insurance program.

Office on Latino Affairs
ola.dc.gov
Phone:    (202) 671-2825
Fax:    (202) 673-4557
2000 14th Street, NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20009

Ensures that the Latino community has full access to quality health, education, employment, and social services in the District.