Montana BRFSS and the Uninsured

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Montana BRFSS and the Uninsured
Joanne Oreskovich, PhD, BRFSS Director

• The information provided in this presentation was
  supported by the following cooperative agreements
  with the Centers for Disease Control and
  Prevention (CDC)
  Montana BRFSS, Cooperative Agreement No.
  U58/CCU822808
• The contents of this presentation are solely the
  responsibility of the authors and do not
  necessarily represent the official views of the
  funding sources

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Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

• CDC/State-based collaborative surveillance system
  of health risks health risk behaviors.
• One way to establish on ongoing data collection
  mechanism for information on the uninsured.
• Three segments to the questionnaire Core,
  Optional Modules and State-added Questions.
• Montana BRFSS Working Group yearly
  questionnaire construction by data users.

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Montana BRFSS Sampling Strategy

• MT BRFSS Methodology Sample size increased
  steadily 2004, over 4000 MT adults completed
  the RDD telephone survey 2005 completed 5005
  interviews and current survey 6000 respondents.
• Over-sample counties with Native American
  reservations re-weigh the data for 5 Health
  Planning regions beginning in 2003.
• Since 2004 have over-sampled largest MMSA
  Yellowstone and in 2006 added Missoula and
  Cascade Counties with hopes to rotate in next
  largest counties in 2-year cycles.

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Montana BRFSS 2006 Questionnaire Items for
Uninsured

• Section 3 Health Care Access
• 1. Do you have any kind of health care coverage,
  including health insurance, prepaid plans such as
  HMOs, or government plans such as Medicare?
• 2. (SA 1) Questions on Health Care What is the
  main reason you are without health care coverage?
• 3.  (SA 2) About how long has it been since you
  had health care coverage?

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Montana BRFSS 2006 Questionnaire Items for
Uninsured

• 4. Do you have one person you think of as your
  personal doctor or health care provider?
• 5. Was there a time in the past 12 months when
  you needed to see a doctor but could not because
  of cost?
• 6. About how long has it been since you last
  visited a doctor for a routine checkup? A routine
  checkup is a general physical exam, not an exam
  for a specific injury, illness, or condition.

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Results from 2003 and 2004 MT BRFSS Prevalence
of Uninsured

• Results also see www.brfss.mt.gov or
  or www.cdc.gov/brfss.

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Prevalence Health Care Coverage Montana Adults -
2004
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No Health Insurance Coverage by Age, Income
Race of Montana Adults - 2004
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Prevalence of Health Insurance Coverage by
Employment Status Montana Adults ages 18-64
years old, 2004 data
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Two measures of health care access by insurance
status, 2004
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Self-reported Health Status by Health Insurance
Coverage for Montana Adults 18-64 years of age,
2004
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State Planning Grant BRFSS Goals

• Publish other useable data for specialized
  uninsured report on regular basis.
• Work with SHADAC at U of MN for construction of a
  stable module of questions based on our states
  data needs about the uninsured.
• SPG representative on BRFSS Working Group for
  yearly incorporation of module on questionnaire.
• SPG will need to secure further funds to support
  this module on future surveys (Current cost
  1000/question)

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Further BRFSS Questions contact
Joanne Oreskovich, PhD BRFSS Director/Epidemiologi
st Health Planning Section Supervisor Public
Health Safety Division, DPHHS 314A Cogswell
Bldg. Helena, MT 59620-2951 Telephone
406-444-2973 Email joreskovich_at_mt.gov