MONTANA BUSINESS QUARTERLY

Volume 44, Number 4, Winter  2006

Health Insurance Coverage Declines

More Children Uninsured Despite State's Economic Gains

by

Steve Seninger

Health insurance coverage for Montana children has decreased over the past four years, according to U.S. Census data. The percent of Montana children of all ages lacking health insurance went from 14 to 16 percent over a four-year period ending in 2005. Double-digit increases in health insurance and increased employee shares of premiums for working parents have contributed on the cost side to the increasing number of uninsured kids and families.

by

Steve Seninger

Montana has one of the highest rates (19 percent) of uninsured residents in the nation. Most people get health insurance through their employers, yet three out of four Montanans without insurance coverage were, in fact, employed. The 2006 Montana Employer Survey was a random telephone survey conducted in an attempt to fill in major gaps in the state?s knowledge of its uninsured population. This article reports the survey findings.

Poverty Rates Highest for Montana's Youngest Children

by

Daphne Herling

Over the past few years, the economic outlook for Montana has been encouraging. Despite this growth, the child poverty rate in Montana has not diminished. The state’s future well-being is tied to the health, education, and stability of its children; many of them are the state’s future work force, leaders, and tax payers. In order to assure a healthy future generation, health insurance, education, and prevention of substance abuse need to be better provided to Montana’s children.

County Patterns of Child and Family Well-Being

by

Daphne Herling

Montana KIDS COUNT looked at an overall way to rank counties on child well-being by combining more than 30 indicators into a composite score. Then we looked at how these indicators interact with the percentage change in county populations between 2000 and 2005. The analysis correlated population growth within the county with indicators of child well-being in the areas of economic status, health and mental health, education, safety, and early childhood.

by

James T. Sylvester

The Bureau of Business and Economic Research?s most recent surveys suggest that about 8 percent of Montana households include snowmobile recreationists. With an average household size of 2.5, perhaps as many as 85,000 Montanans participate in the sport each winter. Nonresident snowmobilers are also important contributors to the Montana economy. Snowmobiling is a popular, revenue-generating winter activity in Montana.