How much is spent on healthcare in Pennsylvania? What is the death rate in Pennsylvania?
What are the basics of healthcare issues in Pennsylvania?
How has the death rate changed in Pennsylvania?
The death rate, also known as mortality rate, is determined using this data in combination with population data. A simple per capita calculation — called the crude death rate — isn't ideal for comparisons, as it doesn't account for differences in age makeup between two groups. For example, an area where more than 50% of the population is over 65 will likely have a higher crude death rate than a place where 10% is 65 or older. Age-adjusted death rates, shown here, allow for comparison between two populations with different age makeups. (Explore Pennsylvania's demographics.)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the primary federal agency tracking deaths nationwide. It maintains the National Vital Statistics System, which gathers death information from every state.
Pennsylvania's age-adjusted death rate increased after the COVID-19 pandemic. It was 12.9% higher than in 2022 than in 2019.
The age-adjusted death rate of heart disease was 180.6 per 100,000 Pennsylvania residents. That's 3.0% higher than the overall heart disease death rate in the US.
The National Vital Statistics System tracks the underlying (or primary) cause of death by recording information from death certificates. The leading causes of death differ by state.
How healthy are people in Pennsylvania?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey, a key way to track health trends at the state level. The survey is one of many sources that public health agencies use for prioritizing and monitoring health interventions.
Here's how Pennsylvania fares on other health indicators:
What is the life expectancy in Pennsylvania?
Life expectancy in Pennsylvania is 0.2 years lower than life expectancy in the US overall.
Life expectancy is a projection estimating the average age of death for people born today. The calculation uses data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data can be a way to assess the impact of health issues such as overdoses and COVID-19.
How much is spent on the health of Pennsylvania residents?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provides estimates of healthcare spending in its National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA). The data is further broken down into other categories, including the state of residence of the recipient of care. The estimates are calculated from a number of sources, including the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
While healthcare spending is expected to grow with the population, per-capita trends can provide context on how costs have changed over time.
How many people in Pennsylvania do not have health insurance?
Health insurance in Pennsylvania is available through various avenues. The primary way to get insurance is privately through employers. Publicly funded options include Medicare (primarily for people 65 and older), Medicaid (for low-income individuals), and plans available for active-duty military members and veterans. The Affordable Care Act expanded access to Medicaid in some states and established an online marketplace where people could buy private coverage.
Since 2013, the year before most ACA provisions went into effect, the share of the uninsured population in Pennsylvania 4.2 percentage points lower percentage points. Data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey shows that the decrease in the share of uninsured residents occurred in every state.
The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey asks respondents in Pennsylvania about their health insurance coverage source, including private plans (employer-based, direct-purchase, and Tricare or military) and publicly funded plans (like Medicaid, Medicare, or VA healthcare). The values in this chart may add up to more than 100%, because some people may be covered by multiple insurance types.
Additionally, 71.7% of Pennsylvania's population were covered by private health insurance plans.
Are there fewer babies being born in Pennsylvania?
As with most states, Pennsylvania's birth rate has been trending down in recent years.
The birth rate is the number of live births per 1,000 people. The data shown here is from the Census Bureau. Looking at the data as a rate rather than just the number of births allows a better understanding of changes over time.
Due to its role in population growth, the birth rate impacts various issues, including health and education. The CDC has attributed a recent drop in the birth rate to "changing patterns in social and cultural norms, as well as increases in educational attainment and contraceptive use."
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