HispanicBusiness

Florida has yet another dubious distinction, ranking second worst among the states in percentage of working-age population (18 to 64) without health insurance, according to census data released Wednesday.

Best and worst places, by state

Percent without health insurance

50. Texas 31.6%

49. Florida 29.8%

48. Nevada 28.3%

1. Massachusetts 6.4%

2. Hawaii 10.7%

3. District of Columbia 10.7%

Tampa Bay area counties

Citrus 25%

Hernando 26.8%

Hillsborough 27.3%

Pasco 26.1%

Pinellas 25.7%

Medicaid, CHIP help

While the loss of private insurance also hurts children, many are being helped by the government's Medi-caid and Children's Health Insurance Program, according to a new study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In Florida:

--33.4% of kids had public health insurance in 2010, compared with 24% in 2008.

--53.1% were covered by private insurance in 2010, down from 58.6% in 2008.

--About 13.5% were uninsured in 2010, down from 17.4% in 2008.

--Nationally, 8.5 percent of children are uninsured -- 5 percentage points better than in Florida.