Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana have the highest proportion of working adults without healthcare coverage, according to a study released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The foundation released the report just before the kick-off of Cover the Uninsured Week, which begins May 1 and aims to focus attention on the need to secure reliable, affordable health coverage for all Americans.

The State Health Access Data Assistance Center, which is located at the University of Minnesota, prepared the report for the foundation, using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In eight states, at least one in five working adults is uninsured. In 39 other states, at least one working adult in every 10 lacks healthcare coverage.

The researchers found that the states with the highest uninsured rates among employed adults are Texas (27 percent), New Mexico (23 percent), Louisiana (23 percent), Florida (22 percent), Montana (21 percent), Oklahoma (21 percent), Nevada (20 percent), and Arkansas (20 percent).

States with the lowest uninsured rates among employed adults include Minnesota (7 percent), Hawaii (9 percent), Delaware (9 percent), and the District of Columbia (9 percent).

Nationally, 41 percent of uninsured adults report being unable to see a doctor when needed in the past 12 months, due to cost, compared with nine percent of adults who have healthcare coverage, according to the report.

More than 1,000 public events will take place during Cover the Uninsured Week, with events taking place in every state and the District of Columbia. Specific events are designed to help uninsured individuals get services and provide information to small business owners who are finding it difficult to provide health insurance for their employees.

For more information, visit www.CoverTheUninsuredWeek.org.