South Dakota Health Insurance

How healthy is living in South Dakota?

South Dakota dropped from five spots – from 16th to 21st – in the 2008 ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Poor mental health days – 1st
• Poor physical health days – 2nd
• Immunization coverage – 5th
• Violent crime – 5th
• Infectious disease – 6th
• Air pollution – 9th
• Prevalence of obesity – 10th
• High school graduation – 11th (82.3 percent of ninth graders eventually graduate)
• Prevalence of binge drinking – 39th
• Occupational fatalities – 40th
• Geographic disparity – 50th

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

Does South Dakota have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

South Dakota Risk Pool
605-773-3148 (ask for a Risk Pool representative)

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

USNews health insurance rankings for South 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 South Dakota.

Official State Goverment Sites with South Dakota Health Insurance Information

South Dakota Department of Help -- its mission is to prevent disease and promote health, ensure access to needed, high-quality health care, and to efficiently manage public health resources.

South Dakota Children's Health Insurance Program -- provides health insurance at little or no cost to South Dakota children who meet certain eligibility guidelines.

South Dakota Department of Social Services -- its Division of Economic Assistance is responsible for administering the Medicaid to help low income individuals and families.