Mass. total health coverage stalled

About 19,000 fewer Massachusetts residents had health insurance in 2017 than 2016, according to a new report that found the Bay State still leads the nation in health insurance rates but its progress toward total coverage has stalled.

The report from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center called the 0.3 percent increase in uninsured residents “statistically significant,” and said the number of uninsured Americans rose 0.2 percent over the same time period.

At 97.2 percent, Massachusetts had the highest rate of insured residents, compared to the nationwide 91.3 percent.

MassBudget flagged higher rates of uninsurance among Latino and black populations. About 4.8 percent of black or AfricanAmerican residents and 5.5 percent of Latino residents lacked health insurance in 2017, compared to 2.8 percent of the state’s population as a whole.

Foreign-born residents had a 6.7 uninsurance rate — more than three times the 2 percent for those who were born in the U.S., the report said. For foreignborn residents who are not naturalized citizens, including permanent residents and those with work or study visas, the share was higher still, at 11.4 percent.

MassBudget said a person’s immigration status can affect eligibility for insurance, understanding of eligibility or create an “unease in revealing sensitive information.”

The Massachusetts Health Connector’s 2019 outreach strategy will focus on five subgroups among the uninsured population: “young invincibles” age 18-34, men, single adults without children, minorities, and low-income individuals.