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Health Department to Release Parish-Level Statistics for Cover the
Uninsured Week
Released: May 1, 2006 Baton Rouge --- The Louisiana Department of Insurance and the Department of Health and Hospitals have partnered to promote Cover the Uninsured Week, May 1-7, 2006, across Louisiana. "The plight of the uninsured in our state has deepened with the displacements and job losses brought about by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita," Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon said. "This year, more than ever, we need to focus our attention on the alarming number of people who do not have health care benefits. The activities of Cover the Uninsured Week are just some of the many ways the Department of Insurance, the Department of Health and Hospitals and other state agencies are partnering with the community to do everything possible to address the needs of our uninsured." During this week, DHH is publishing more specific information about the uninsured than has ever been available before. These statistics, gleaned from the 2005 Louisiana Health Insurance Survey, give parish-level breakdowns of the number of uninsured. "We know citizens without health insurance or a regular source of care often go without primary care and are more likely to be in poorer health than people who do have insurance," said DHH Secretary Dr. Fred Cerise." To address this problem, we can use this new information about who the uninsured are and in what parishes they live as we conduct outreach activities. Better, targeted outreach helped us drastically reduce the number of uninsured children in the state after the 2003 survey, and we know that we can use the results of the 2005 survey to continue those efforts." Overall, this information shows uninsured rates are higher in North Louisiana than in South Louisiana, and parishes with higher household income levels tend to have lower rates of uninsured residents. The parish estimates of uninsured are included in nine regional profiles, representing the Greater New Orleans area, the Baton Rouge area, the Houma/Thibodaux area, the Acadiana area, Southwest Louisiana, Central Louisiana, Northwest Louisiana, Northeast Louisiana and the Florida Parishes. To view the regional profiles, visit www.medicaid.dhh.louisiana.gov. The Louisiana Department of Insurance and DHH have planned several activities statewide as part of Cover the Uninsured Week. The following pages contain a list of these events. Representatives of different insurance companies, health care stakeholders and workers with the Medicaid program will attend many of these events to discuss coverage options with interested citizens. State-Planned Events:
New Orleans Area - Region 1 Thursday, May 4, 2006 Baton Rouge Area - Region 2 Wednesday, May 3, 2006 Thibodaux Area - Region 3 Saturday, April 29, 2006 Wednesday, May 3, 2006 Saturday, May 6, 2006 Lafayette Area - Region 4 Saturday, April 29, 2006 Wednesday, May 3, 2006 Saturday, May 6, 2006 Lake Charles Area - Region 5 Wednesday, May 3, 2006 Thursday, May 4, 2006 Friday, May 5, 2006 Saturday, May 6, 2006 Alexandria Area - Region 6 Monday, May 1, 2006 1"CTUW" Information Expo (8:30 a.m. - Noon) @ Southern Pediatric Clinic located at 1416 Metro Drive in Alexandria, LA Wednesday, May 3, 2006 Shreveport Area - Region 7 Friday, May 5, 2006 Monroe Area - Region 8 Monday, May 1 - Friday, May 5, 2006 Northshore Area - Region 9 Saturday, April 29, 2006
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