Texas and Oklahoma were among non-Medicaid expansion states with the highest rates of uninsured adults, especially those living in rural areas. Meanwhile, that rate in Kansas and Nebraska were among the lowest.
According to a study released Tuesday from Georgetown University and the University of North Carolina, of non-elderly uninsured adults, the rates of those living in rural areas is 36 percent in Texas and 38 percent in Oklahoma. In Kansas and Nebraska, the rate is 24 percent.
None of those states expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
Research Professor Jack Hoadley said there are higher uninsured rates in rural areas because of higher unemployment rates and other factors that make it difficult to keep health insurance. He also said Medicaid expansion would help some rural hospitals keep their doors open.
The rate in Colorado, which did expand Medicaid under the ACA, is 13 percent.
