Monday Open Line

This August, the Census Bureau will release health insurance estimates for each of the nation’s 3,143 counties. Known as the Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, these are the only source of single-year estimates of health insurance coverage for every county in the nation. Recently, the Census Bureau began publishing specific estimates of the number of people ages 50-to-64 with health insurance coverage. This new inclusion allows tracking of the insurance status of this older population, which is more likely to consume health care compared with younger age groups. Knowing the number of uninsured ages 50-to-64 allows planners and health care officials to better prepare for the health care needs of the U.S. population as it ages. Profile America is in its 17th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sunday, June 2nd. It’s well known that fans of the Green Bay Packers refer to themselves as “Cheeseheads,” poking fun at themselves, their devotion to their team, and Wisconsin’ s reputation as a maker of cheese. In that vein, the town of Little Chute, just 20 miles south of Green Bay, is hosting the 25th annual Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival, which ends today. Some thousands will have attended to enjoy the fun and the good food. Among the offerings will be a cheese tasting event, a cheese carving demonstration, and a cheesecake contest. Americans eat an average of just over 32 pounds of various cheeses each year, nearly twice the amount each of us ate in 1980. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.

Saturday, June 1st. The first public phone booth was installed on this date in 1880 in New Haven, Connecticut, just four years after the telephone was invented. These first public telephones were supervised by attendants, while those operated by coins came along nine years later. Today, it’s rare to see a pay phone beyond transportation terminals, but the latest models have computer-like features, and worldwide, some booths are converting to wireless fidelity hot spots. At the same time, the number of Americans using cell phones has surged from under 40 percent at the beginning of the last decade, to nearly 91 percent most recently. You can find current data on the country’s economy by downloading the new “America’s Economy” mobile application at <www.census.gov/mobile>.