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Minnesota Community and Uninsured Profile Updated to Include 2024 American Community Survey Estimates
SHADAC is pleased to announce that the ‘Minnesota Community and Uninsured Profile’ has been updated with 2024 American Community Survey estimates, thanks to the continued support from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation. Read More
Line chart of percent of U.S. adults who could not get medical care when needed due to cost in 2021-2024 by coverage type.
Unaffordable Health Care Costs: More U.S. Adults Forgo Care Due to Cost in 2024, Differences Seen by State, Insurance Coverage Type, Chronic Disease Status
Increasingly high and unaffordable health care costs can lead to forgoing medical care, which can impact overall health. This blog explores rates of forgone care due to cost over time, by state, and by subgroup using SHADAC’s State Health Compare. Read More
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New Minnesota Health Access Survey (MNHA) Data Show Sharp Increase in Uninsurance, Disproportionately Impacting Certain Groups
The latest data released from the Minnesota Health Access Survey (MNHA) show sharp increases in the uninsured rate in the state, increasing from 3.8% (a historic low) to 5.8% between 2023 and 2025. This equates to approximately 116,000 more Minnesotans being uninsured. Learn more in this blog. Read More
Sexual orientation and gender identity definitions. Text versions linked below.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Data Collection and Availability in Federal Health Surveys and Beyond
Recent federal policy changes have created uncertainty surrounding Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) data collection and availability in federal sources. This blog post will review the current known status of SOGI data in federal surveys and programs. Read More
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FPG vs. FPL: What's the Difference?
"FPG" and "FPL" are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same. In fact, there are important differences between them. This blog explains key differences between the federal poverty guideline and federal poverty level along with current values based on family size and household makeup. Read More
timeline of key events for the Census and American Community Survey (ACS). Details in text.
Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the American Community Survey: The History and Impact of Surveying American Communities
What is the American Community Survey? Our latest blog walks readers through a brief history of the ACS, including a basic explanation of how the ACS operates, information on ACS data collection, and how ACS data is used by researchers and policymakers. Read More
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Examples of Federal Health Data Preservation Efforts Across the U.S.
Federal developments in 2025 have led to concerns about the future of numerous data sources. This blog consolidates 22 examples of federal data preservation, tracking, and innovation efforts related to health data in a clear and organized table. Read More
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Taking the Pulse of the Nation’s Households: The Value of Real-Time Survey Data During an Era of Rapid Policy Change
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (HPS) has been a key data source providing timely survey data to policymakers. Learn more about the HPS and the Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey (HTOPS) in this blog. Read More
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Lost Years: Using Premature Deaths Data to Understand Public Health Trends and Subgroup Variation
In this blog, we use premature deaths data to understand public health trends. We also analyze variation in premature deaths across demographic subgroups. Read More
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Premature Deaths: Understanding Years of Potential Life Lost as a Measure of Public Health
On SHADAC’s State Health Compare website, we offer a measure called “premature deaths,” which estimates the number of years of potential life lost prior to age 75 (an approximation of U.S. life expectancy) per 100,000 people. Learn more in this blog. Read More