| Course | HLTH 1000 Concepts of Health Promotion |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 4 |
| Paper type | Issue brief |
| Length | About 560 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | BS in Public Health |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HLTH 1000 Week 4
One in Three Working-Age Adults in Hidalgo County, Texas, Has No Health Insurance: An Issue Brief for the County Health Department
Student Name
Walden University
HLTH 1000: Concepts of Health Promotion
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
One in Three Working-Age Adults in Hidalgo County, Texas, Has No Health Insurance: An Issue Brief for the County Health Department
Summary
In 2024, about 175,000 Hidalgo County adults aged 19 to 64, or 34.5%, had no health insurance, three times the national rate of 11.3% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2025). Young adults aged 19 to 34 were the least covered, at 41.0%. People without coverage are less likely to have a usual place to get care and to receive treatment for chronic conditions such as diabetes, which affects about one in six adults in the county. This brief asks the county health department to offer evening insurance enrollment help at its clinics during the next open enrollment period.
Hidalgo County's Uninsured Rate Is Triple the National Rate
A second source agrees. CDC's PLACES project, which models local estimates from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, put the 2023 share of Hidalgo County adults aged 18 to 64 without insurance at 37.4%, compared with 13.9% in Travis County, home to Austin (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025). Neighboring border counties showed similar rates: 35.9% in Cameron County and 36.2% in Webb County.
Table 1
Uninsured Working-Age Adults (19-64), 2024
| Place | Adults 19-64 | Uninsured | Percent uninsured | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo County, Texas | 508,123 | 175,052 | 34.5% | |
| Texas | 18,432,470 | 3,985,141 | 21.6% | |
| United States | 197,947,160 | 22,341,314 | 11.3% | |
Source: Census Bureau, Table B27010, 2024 one-year ACS.
Young Adults Carry the Largest Share
Among Hidalgo County adults aged 19 to 34, 41.0% had no insurance in 2024, compared with 29.7% of adults aged 35 to 64 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2025). Many young adults have aged out of a parent's plan or children's Medicaid and work in jobs that do not offer coverage, so they face the enrollment process for the first time on their own.
Lack of Coverage Has Health Consequences
A review of research on coverage found that having health insurance increases access to primary care and medicines, improves the detection and management of chronic conditions such as diabetes and depression, and is associated with lower mortality (Sommers et al., 2017). In Hidalgo County, 17.4% of adults had diagnosed diabetes and 33.4% had high blood pressure in 2023 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025). These are conditions that depend on regular care.
What Is Being Done Now
Texas has not expanded Medicaid to adults with low incomes, so most uninsured working-age adults who do not qualify for traditional Medicaid can gain coverage only through the federal Marketplace. Studies of states that did expand Medicaid found gains in coverage and affordability among low-income parents (McMorrow et al., 2017), but that option is not available at the county level. Marketplace enrollment help exists, but much of it is offered during weekday business hours.
The Gap
The adults most likely to be uninsured, young people working hourly jobs, are the least able to attend enrollment help during the day. Those with incomes in the eligible range may qualify for Marketplace premium tax credits, but an unfamiliar process and help that is offered only while they are at work stand between them and a plan.
The Ask
We ask the Hidalgo County Health and Human Services Department to offer enrollment help on two weekday evenings each week, staying open until 8 p.m., at its public health clinics during the next Marketplace open enrollment period, and to count how many people are helped.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). PLACES: Local data for better health, county data 2025 release [Data set]. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/swc5-untb
McMorrow, S., Gates, J. A., Long, S. K., & Kenney, G. M. (2017). Medicaid expansion increased coverage, improved affordability, and reduced psychological distress for low-income parents. Health Affairs, 36(5), 808-818. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2016.1650
Sommers, B. D., Gawande, A. A., & Baicker, K. (2017). Health insurance coverage and health: What the recent evidence tells us. New England Journal of Medicine, 377(6), 586-593. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsb1706645
U.S. Census Bureau. (2025). American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2024: Table B27010, Hidalgo County, Texas [Data set]. https://data.census.gov/
HLTH 1000 Week 4 instructions, in plain terms
An issue brief is written for a reader with little time. Choose one problem and one population, and gather figures from agencies that publish them, noting the year and geography for each. Put a short summary at the top that contains the whole argument, including your ask. Write headings as statements so the sequence of headings tells the story. Describe who carries the problem before describing what is being done about it. Include one simple table or figure with its source directly beneath. Keep paragraphs to a few lines. Close with a single ask written as something the reader can actually do. Avoid rounding figures for effect.
How the HLTH 1000 Week 4 example is put together
The brief opens with a summary box giving the county's uninsured rate, the rate for young adults and the ask. The first section, headed as a statement, presents Table 1 comparing Hidalgo County, Texas and the United States from the 2024 American Community Survey, then confirms the pattern with CDC PLACES estimates for nearby counties. Sections follow on young adults, the health consequences of lacking coverage with Sommers and colleagues and county diabetes and blood pressure figures, the current situation with McMorrow and colleagues on Medicaid expansion and the gap. The ask names the department, the hours and the period.
Reading the HLTH 1000 Week 4 rubric
Faculty judge an issue brief on clarity and use of evidence. The summary should state the problem, the population and the ask so that a reader who stops there knows what is requested. Figures must carry sources, years and geographies, and faculty check that they are reported accurately. Headings written as statements earn credit for scannability. Describing the population before the response shows the brief is organized for the reader. A single, specific ask is valued over a list of recommendations. The layout should support skimming, with short paragraphs and one well-labeled table. Briefs that read like essays with headings, or that bury the ask, earn less. Faculty also check that the ask matches the evidence presented, so that the request follows from the problem described rather than appearing from nowhere.
HLTH 1000 Week 4 help: mistakes that cost marks
The hardest part of an issue brief is leaving things out. Pick the one problem and the one population that matter most, and drop the rest. Find your numbers at the source, such as the Census Bureau or CDC, and write down the year and geography as you go. Draft the summary last, after you know your ask. Turn each heading into a sentence. Use one table, not five. Make the ask something a named office could start next month. We can help you build a brief for a county or city you care about. Before you submit, time yourself reading it; if it takes more than five minutes, cut.
Get a HLTH 1000 Week 4 example written to your instructions
Requests for this one carry the assignment prompt, the rubric, and any page ceiling the section imposes, because a page ceiling decides the layout. A two-page brief is then built to fit it, figures sourced and labeled underneath. A first custom sample is free. Delivery falls inside 24 to 48 hours, on whichever problem and population the week names.
More HLTH 1000 papers and BS in Public Health samples
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- HLTH 1000 Week 6: Midterm Discussion Post
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- HLTH 1000 Week 8: Program Proposal
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- HLTH 1000 Week 10: Evaluation Plan
- HLTH 1000 Week 11: Course Reflection
HLTH 1000 Week 4 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HLTH 1000 Week 4 sample paper?
The issue brief on uninsured working-age adults in Hidalgo County, Texas, with its table and sources, is free to read here.
What data does the HLTH 1000 Week 4 example use?
American Community Survey 2024 Table B27010 for insurance coverage and CDC PLACES estimates for nearby counties and county health measures.
Which group carries the largest share?
Young adults aged 19 to 34, of whom 41.0% had no health insurance in 2024.
What single ask does the brief make?
That the county health department offer evening enrollment help at its clinics during the next open enrollment period.
Why are headings written as statements?
So a reader skimming only the headings still follows the argument from problem to ask.