Rhode Island Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island held steady at #11 in the 2008 ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Geographic disparity – 1st
• Prevalence of obesity – 2nd
• Number of primary care physicians – 4th
• Violent crime – 6th
• Lack of health insurance – 7th
• Prevalence of smoking – 8th
• Premature death – 9th
• Poor physical health days – 43rd
• Prevalence of binge drinking – 45th
• Poor mental health days – 45th
• Infant mortality – 47th

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Rhode Island.

Does Rhode Island have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

No, Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island

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

USNews health insurance rankings for Rhode Island

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 Rhode Island.

Official State Goverment Sites with Rhode Island Health Insurance Information

Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner -- congrats to the State of Rhode Island, for establishing a dedicated office to aid health insurance consumers and promote the state health care system. Follow the links at left to access consumer information.

Rhode Island Medical Assistance Program (Medicaid) -- The Rhode Island Medical Assistance Program, also known as " Medicaid", is a federal and state funded program that pays for medical and health related services for eligible Rhode Islanders.

Advocacy Link(s)

Rhode Island and Universal Health Care -- a report to the Rhode Island General Assembly by the Connecticut Coalition for Universal Health Care