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Connecticut, like other states, launched an online health exchange -- Access Health CT -- where residents can shop for and purchase health insurance. There could be new opportunities for the unemployed or uninsured to receive health insurance. Here, we gather our coverage of changes under the new federal law.

Survey Reveals Chronic Illness Is a Problem For Adults in Connecticut

Morgan
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Creative Commons
"All of this access to care presumes that we will be getting people in earlier to detect, diagnose, and treat illness, and to prevent illness."
Frances Padilla

Results of the Connecticut Heath Care Survey were released on Wednesday. On the surface, the numbers pretty look good: 91 percent of the 4,608 adults surveyed reported having health insurance, and 87 percent said their health is good to very good.

When those numbers are broken down by race and ethnicity, a disparity emerges. Frances Padilla, President of Universal Health Care of Connecticut -- one of the six sponsors of the survey -- said, "The rate of insurance among whites in Connecticut is a lot higher, significantly, than it is among Hispanics or Blacks: 75 percent among Hispanics, 84 percent among blacks." 

Another troubling statistic: 45 percent of adults surveyed said they suffer from a chronic disease, like diabetes, asthma, and cancer. Padilla said it's an alarming statistic. With more people getting preventative care through the Affordable Care Act, she expects that number to drop. "All of this access to care," she said, "presumes that we will be getting people in earlier to detect, diagnose, and treat illness, and to prevent illness."

One bright spot in the surveywas the health care of children: 98.5 percent of the 839 children in the survey have health insurance, and 93 percent had visited a dentist in the prior year. 

Ray Hardman is Connecticut Public’s Arts and Culture Reporter. He is the host of CPTV’s Emmy-nominated original series Where Art Thou? Listeners to Connecticut Public Radio may know Ray as the local voice of Morning Edition, and later of All Things Considered.

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