A study conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health (DOH) and the University of Minnesota School of Public Health found that the percentage of Minnesotans without health insurance increased from 7.2 percent in 2007 to 9.1 percent in 2009.  The study estimates that 480,000 Minnesotans were uninsured in 2009, compared to 374,000 in 2007 and notes that about two-thirds of the uninsured were without coverage for one year or longer.  Finally, the study found that the decline in insurance rates was primarily the result of declining rates of employer sponsored insurance, which fell from 62.5 percent in 2007 to 57.2 percent in 2009.

From the news release:

The study results are based on a telephone survey of more than 12,000 Minnesota households conducted from August through November 2009. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish. The survey results are statistically weighted so that they are representative of the state population. Cell phones were included in the survey for the first time in 2009, due to the rising proportion of Minnesota households that use cell phones exclusively (an estimated 19 percent of households).

The Minnesota Health Access Survey is a large-scale health insurance survey conducted jointly by MDH and the School of Public health every two years. More detailed results from the survey will be published later this year.

News Release:  Health Insurance Coverage in Minnesota, Early Results from the 2009 Minnesota Health Access Survey (html)

Preliminary Findings Fact Sheet: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpsc/hep/publications/coverage/2009resultshas.pdf

Minnesota Department of Health, Health Economics Program. (2010). Health insurance coverage in Minnesota, early results from the 2009 Minnesota Health Access Survey.