89.6 Million Lacked Health Insurance
Those
under 65 had no coverage for at
least part of the time, group says
WASHINGTON (Reuters)
September 21, 2007 — More than one-third
of the U.S. population under the age of
65 went without health insurance for all
or part of the last two years, a
consumer group said on Thursday.
The
nonprofit Families USA group used data
from last month's U.S. Census Bureau
report that found 47 million Americans
went without health insurance for all of
2006.
Families USA broke down that figure and
calculated that 89.6 million people
under age 65 — 34.7 percent — went
without health insurance at some point
during 2006-2007. It used a projection
for the remaining months of this year.
After
age 65, Americans become eligible for
Medicare, the state-federal health
insurance plan for the elderly.
"The
huge number of people without health
coverage over the past two years helps
to explain why health care has become
the top domestic issue in the 2008
presidential campaign," Ron Pollack,
executive director of Families USA, said
in a statement.
"The
expansion of health coverage in America
is no longer simply a matter of altruism
about other people but a matter of
intense self-interest."
Rising
costs
In the United states, an employer
generally supplies health insurance. But
rising costs mean fewer employers are
offering this benefit.
Budget
crunches mean states have tightened
eligibility for programs such as
Medicaid, the public insurance plan for
the poor and disabled, and for programs
covering children.
Surveys
also suggest that many of those going
without insurance are middle-class and
employed.
The
Families USA report found that nearly
two-thirds of people who lacked coverage
at some point went uninsured for six
months or more, and half went uninsured
for nine months or more.
Texas
had the most people without insurance —
45.7 percent of the non-elderly
population.
The
report found that more than 79 percent
of those without insurance were in
families in which at least one person
had a job, 70.6 percent were themselves
employed full-time, and 8.7 percent were
employed part-time.
"The
number of uninsured has reached crisis
proportions that must be addressed by
the President and Congress to ensure
that health coverage is available and
affordable for all," Pollack said.
Health
insurance is a major topic of the 2008
presidential election campaign, with
virtually every candidate offering a
plan. Various nonprofits, big employers,
unions and other groups are also
proposing plans to cover more people.
