55 Million Americans Will Lack Health Insurance By 2008

Dec 08, 1999

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 8, 1999

CONTACT: Richard Coorsh

(202) 824-1787

e-mail: rcoorsh@hiaa.org

Women, "non-poor" among fastest-growing percentages of uninsured Americans

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The nation’s leading health insurance trade association today released a new report predicting the total number of Americans without health insurance by 2008 will grow to 55 million – more than 22 percent of the non-elderly population – without government action.

Should the economy falter, and if health care costs grow faster than expected, the number of uninsured Americans by 2008 would rise to more than 60 million, according to the report, released by the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA).

"This study confirms that the plight of the nation’s uninsured must be our nation’s top priority," observed HIAA President Chip Kahn. "No longer can our nation ignore the growing magnitude of this problem. This is why HIAA developed and is promoting "InsureUSA," a proposal to assure coverage to uninsured adults and kids."

HIAA’s new report reveals that the number of non-elderly Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance rose in 1998 to more than 157 million Americans, up from approximately 152 million Americans in 1997.

HIAA’s report also reveals that from 1997 to 1998, the percentage of women in every adult age group who are uninsured rose faster than the corresponding rate for men. Furthermore, it shows the percentage of "non-poor" Americans (people who earn more than twice the federal poverty level of $33,400 for a family of four) has increased from about 40 percent of the uninsured in 1994 to nearly 46 percent of the uninsured in 1998. Poor Americans continue to make up the largest percentage of the uninsured.

Other important findings of the report include:

• Nebraska and Minnesota are the states with the lowest percentage of uninsured (10.3 percent), followed closely by Iowa (10.9 percent) and Vermont (11 percent).
• Arizona has the highest percentage of uninsured (27.2 percent), followed by Texas (27 percent), California (24.4 percent), and New Mexico (24 percent).
• Arizona is the state with the largest increase in the percentage of uninsured, followed by New Jersey (18 percent) and New York (19.5 percent).

HIAA’s new study was conducted by William S. Custer, Ph.D.; and Pat Ketsche, M.B.A., M.H.A., both of Georgia State University. The data are tabulations of the March supplement to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) for the years 1991 to 1998.

The Health Insurance Association of America is the nation’s most prominent trade association representing the private health care system. Its 290 members provide health, long-term care, dental, disability, and supplemental coverage to more than 123 million Americans.

Note: This study is available in downloadable Word format by clicking here or in PDF format by clicking here.