Medicaid recipients report poorer health than uninsured: 6 findings

More Medicaid recipients report poorer health compared to Medicare recipients, those covered by employer or union plans and the uninsured, according to the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index.

The index includes survey results for 147,465 U.S. adults interviewed between Jan. 2 and Nov. 5, 2017.

Here are six findings.

1. Thirty percent of Medicaid recipients reported their health as "excellent/very good." This compares to the uninsured (33 percent), Medicare recipients (40 percent) and those with employer- or union-based insurance coverage (59 percent).

2. Forty percent of Medicaid recipients reported "fair/poor" health compared to the uninsured (31 percent), Medicare recipients (31 percent) and those with employer- or union-based insurance coverage (11 percent).

3. A factor in why more Medicaid recipients reported poorer health may be due to the fact Medicaid recipients are typically disabled or in lower-income households, according to Gallup's report on the survey findings, which notes previous research indicating that poor health and lower income are connected.

4. Medicaid recipients (17 percent) are more likely to have high cholesterol than the uninsured (7 percent) those with employer- or union-based insurance coverage (12 percent). Medicare recipients (34 percent), however, are more likely than Medicaid recipients to report the condition.

5. Medicaid recipients (25 percent) are more likely to have depression than the uninsured (8 percent) those with employer- or union-based insurance coverage (7 percent) and Medicare recipients (16 percent).

6. Additionally, Medicaid recipients are more likely to smoke (36 percent) than the uninsured (31 percent) those with employer- or union-based insurance coverage (13 percent) and Medicare recipients (16 percent).

Read more about the survey findings here.

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