North Dakota Health Insurance

How healthy is living in North Dakota?

North Dakota was fell several spots in the 2009 ranking of America's healthiest states, coming at #17, according to the United Health Foundation.

The good news:

• The state is great shape when it comes to mental health, earning the top ranking of all 50 states, with just 2.2 poor mental health days over a measured 30-day period.
• North Dakota was also tops nationally when it came to the incident of infectious diseases. The state reported just 2.4 cases per 100,000 population.

The bad news:

• Just one state had a lower ranking in the category measuring the prevalence of binge drinking. Statistics showed that 22.4 percent of North Dakotans reported binge drinking.
• Over the past year, the state also reported a decrease in the high school graduation rate, though the state still retained a #9 ranking nationally with a 82.1 percent graduation rate.
• The percentage of North Dakota children in poverty rose from 12.5 percent to 17.2 percent over the past year.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Poor mental health days – #1
• Infectious disease – #1
• Poor physical health days – #2
• Air pollution – #3
• Violent crime – #4
• High school graduation – #9
• Premature death – #10
• Occupational fatalities – #41
• Geographic disparity – #46
• Prevalence of binge drinking – #49

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on North Dakota.

Does North Dakota have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

Comprehensive Health Association of North Dakota (North Dakota health insurance risk pool)
Toll-free 1-800-737-0016 or (701) 277-2271

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Starting in 2010, North Dakota will offer health coverage to residents through the federally established temporary high-risk pool program. To find out more about North Dakota's participation, click here.

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 pool to 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. Read more about risk pools here.

Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in North Dakota

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

Georgetown University's Guide to Health Insurance in North Dakota

Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute has researched and written state-by-state guides for finding and keeping health insurance. It updates these guides as federal and state policies change. A number of non-profit organizations help fund its research. Learn more about the Health Policy Institute.

Review Georgetown's guide for North Dakota.

USNews health insurance rankings for North Dakota

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 North Dakota.

Official State Goverment Sites with North Dakota Health Insurance Information

North Dakota Department of Health -- The State Health Officer's comprehensive site for health care information for state residents.

North Dakota Insurance Department -- health insurance section -- look for links to pages of information in the left-hand navigation bar.

Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) -- designed to provide health care insurance for children in families without health insurance or with inadequate health insurance. It does not replace Medicaid; in fact, children on Medicaid are precluded from CHIP participation.