WE ARE HEALTHY
|
|
|
|
24% of those under age 65
in Travis County
had no health insurance in 2008
A report by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured entitled “Sicker and Poorer: The Consequences of Being Uninsured” concludes that having health insurance improves a person’s health and their ability to get an education and achieve and maintain productive employment. Billions of dollars of uncompensated care are provided to the uninsured. The primary source of funding this care, the report states, is the U.S. government and, ultimately, tax payers.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Texas has the highest percentage of people who are uninsured in the nation. The percentage of uninsured persons in the City of Austin was almost as high as the rate for the State of Texas.
|
 |
Top of Page
|
|
18% of adults
in the Austin metro area
reported five or more "poor mental health days"
within the past month.
|
| |
|
Days that include stress, depression, and problems with emotions are considered "poor mental health days" in this Texas Behavioral Risk Factor survey. Poor mental health impacts health, family relationships and the ability to work. Mental illness can place tremendous emotional and financial burdens on family members.
|
In 2008, the percent of those in the Austin metro area who reported five or more poor mental health days was about the same as the state rate and was lower than the national rate.
|
 |
Top of Page
|
Austin area is in "attainment"
of EPA air quality standards
Air pollutants can cause a variety of health problems including breathing problems, cancer, and brain and nervous system damage. Air pollution can be especially harmful to the very young, the very old, and those with certain pre-existing medical conditions. Ozone levels have been steadily decreasing in Austin over the past ten years, according to the Capital Area Council of Governments, and the Austin area is currently in attainment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air quality standards for ozone that were set in 2008. However, the EPA is currently re-evaluating those standards and is expected to tighten them in 2010. It is questionable whether Austin will be able to maintain its attainment status under these new guidelines.
|
 |
| |
|
20% of adults in the
Austin metro area are smokers
|
Tobacco use was the leading cause of preventable death in Texas in 2001, according to a report by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the economic burden of tobacco use on our society at more than $96 billion per year in medical expenditures and another $97 billion per year in lost productivity.
In 2008, adults in the Austin metro area were slightly more likely to smoke than adults in Texas and the U.S.
|
 |
Top of Page
|
23% of adults
in the Austin metro area
were obese in 2008
|
The Texas Department of State Health Services reports that obesity was the second leading cause of preventable death in Texas in 2001. Adults who are obese or overweight are at a higher risk for coronary disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer according to the National Institutes of Health.
A report by the Texas Comptroller, "Counting Costs and Calories: Measuring the Cost of Obesity", found that overweight and obese Texans cost Texas employers an estimated $3.3 billion in 2005. The same report estimated the costs to Medicare and Medicaid at $5 billion annually.
The Austin-Round Rock MSA has a lower rate of obesity than the state or the nation.
|
 |
 |
Top of Page
|
|
