The Uninsured

As insurance premiums rise and more employers drop coverage, an increasing number of Americans are living without health insurance. Nearly one in three non-elderly Americans—86.7 million people—went without health coverage for all or part of 2006-2007. And four out of five of those individuals were in working families.

Why does insurance matter? People without insurance are more likely to go without preventive care, to delay or forgo medical care, and to die prematurely. When sick, the uninsured may turn to emergency rooms for care, where oftentimes they are charged more for services than insured patients. And when uninsured patients can’t afford their medical bills, the cost of this care is passed on to the insured in the form of higher premiums.

This section of our Web site explores who is uninsured and how we can increase coverage.

For information on how the new health care law will help the uninsured, go to Health Reform Central.

The Latest

From Families USA:

The Bottom Line: How the Affordable Care Act Helps America's Families shows the net financial effects of the Affordable Care Act on family budgets. We found that lower- and middle-income families, both uninsured and insured, will be financial winners. | State Reports (October 2011)

Establishing a Consumer Health Assistance Program in Your Community: Consumer health assistance programs provide valuable services to people who have questions about health insurance (such as Medicaid or private insurance) or who are having trouble getting access to health care. For information on establishing such a program in your community, click here.

From the Center for Studying Health System Change and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:
 

Americans’ Access to Prescriptions Drugs Stabilizes, 2007-2010 explains that, despite the weak economy and high uninsurance rates, reported difficulty affording prescription drugs remained level between 2007 and 2010. This trend may be a byproduct of fewer visits to the doctor because of the weak economy and therefore fewer prescriptions being filled. (December 2011)

Medical Bill Problems Steady for U.S. Families, 2007-2010 finds that the proportion of families reporting problems paying medical bills in 2010 is about the same as it was in 2007, which may be a byproduct of people getting less medical care because of losing jobs or health insurance. However, the proportion of families facing these difficulties in 2010 is dramatically higher than it was in 2003. (December 2011)

From Consumers Union: 

Addressing Barriers to Online Applications: Can Public Enrollment Stations Increase Access to Health Coverage? discusses the use of computers or kiosk stations in public places to make online applications more accessible. It identifies challenges and opportunities that policy makers need to understand as they design effective online application systems. (November 2011)

From Demos and Young Invincibles:

The State of Young America: Health Care and Coverage describes the difficulties young adults face in obtaining health insurance and paying for medical services. It notes that provisions of the Affordable Care Act have started to reverse the trend of rising uninsurance among young adults. (November 2011)

From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Urban Institute:  

Changes in Health Insurance Coverage in the Great Recession, 2007-2010 notes a severe decline in job-based coverage during this time period. Public coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has offset some loss of coverage, but the overall uninsurance rate has risen. (December 2011)

From the Kaiser Family Foundation:

Women’s Health Insurance Coverage describes the different sources of health insurance for women and discusses how the Affordable Care Act will help the 20 percent of women ages 18 to 64 who are uninsured. (December 2011)

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