Pennsylvania Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania fell three spots – from 30th to 27th – in the 2008 ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Geographic disparity – 1st
• Lack of health insurance – 8th
• High school graduation – 10th (82.5 percent of ninth graders eventually graduate)
• Number of primary care physicians – 11th
• Poor physical health days – 36th
• Public health funding – 37th
• Infant mortality – 37th
• Cancer deaths – 37th
• Preventable hospitalizations – 38th
• Air pollution – 46th

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

---

Does Pennsylvania have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

No, Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

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

---

USNews health insurance rankings for Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania.

---

Official State Goverment Sites with Pennsylvania Health Insurance Information

Pennsylvania Insurance Department--The State of Pennsylvania's department of insurance provides official information all types of insurance.

Health Insurance Tips for Pennsylvania Consumers--From the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.

Frequently-Asked-Questions about Health Insurance--From the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.

Childrens Health Insurance Program--CHIP is Pennsylvania's program intended to provide health insurance for children of working families who otherwise could not afford it.