How Many Americans Do Not Have Health Insurance?

By Cathy Wilson Posted in Health Insurance News



Recent Census Information

According to a report published by the U.S. Census Bureau in March of 2008 for the reporting year 2007, nearly 15.3%, or 45.7 million American citizens did not have some form of health insurance coverage. This includes those that are not covered under the government-supported programs Medicare and Medicaid. Of the remaining population, 253.4 million people were covered under private health insurance, including employer-provided health insurance, and 80.3 million were covered under Medicare or Medicaid. Each year, the number of those insured under private health insurance decreases and the number of those insured by the government-supported plan increases.

The report included all ages in the general count of the uninsured. It also showed that 11.7% of children, or 8.1 million under the age of 18 are uninsured. This statistic directly correlated with the income level of the household the children resided in at the time of the census. 17.6% of children living in poverty are uninsured. Many states offer a state-funded health insurance plan for children only. In some cases, the children were not eligible for state-funded coverage or their parents/guardians had not applied for, or did not know about the state-funded programs.

Race also affects the insurance statistics. Only 10.4% of whites (non-Hispanic) were uninsured compared with 19.5% of African Americans and 32.1% of Hispanics. Statistics are not available for those who are classified under multiple races. There is also a direct relation between income status and health insurance status. 24.5% of people with a combined annual household income of less than $25,000 are uninsured compared to only 7% of those with a combined annual household income of $75,000 or more.

Regional Differences

Not surprising, the census also found that there were regional differences between the insured and uninsured. Populations in the Midwest and Northeast had a lower percentage of uninsured residents than the West and South. As well as a significant difference between those that lived in the suburbs, major cities and rural areas. The disparity between those with and those without health insurance are directly affected by age, economic status, regional location and employment status. Employers are not required by law to provide health insurance to their employees. So even those who are employed may not be offered health benefits and may make too much to qualify under Medicare.

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