The Kentucky Department of Medicaid Services reports that the number of uninsured people in the Commonwealth is down to the lowest point in four years. Officials said expansionary programs have helped many Kentuckians get access to coverage they already qualified for. Medicaid Services Commissioner Lisa Lee said this includes additions like KYNECT, an online gateway that allows people to shop and sign up for insurance remotely.
“We expanded in 2014 and created our state-based exchange. We also developed an integrated eligibility and enrollment system that has been very successful. It has been so successful that other states have asked to utilize our platform for their services,” said Lee.
She added during the first year of expansion the uninsured rate dropped from 40.2% to 23.6%.
“Their current rate of uninsured in Kentucky is 5.6%, so the bulk of the individuals in the state do have health insurance. The national average, as you can see, is approximately 8%. So, Kentucky is lower than the national average in the number of individuals who are uninsured,” Lee said.
Kentucky ranks 13th nationally among the number of uninsured citizens. The state with the lowest rate is Massachusetts, with only 2.4% of its population lacking coverage. More information can be found at chfs.ky.gov.