April 2007
Question:
Who are the people, particularly children, youth, and families who are uninsured in the United States? What are the consequences for people who are not insured?
Answer:
More than 46 million people in the United States – in every age group and at every income level - were uninsured for all of 2005. More than 8 out of 10 uninsured people, including children and youth are in working families. During all of 2005, 8.3 million children were uninsured, up from 8 million in 2004. This is in spite of the fact that Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has been increasing their enrollment of children and youth in both programs. The reason is that private health insurance has continued on its downward trend of insuring employees through the workplace. In 1999, 64.8% of children and youth were insured through private health insurance and in 2005, 60.5% were insured through this mechanism. Based upon the US Census Bureau data, the decrease represents 1,016,000 children and youth who no longer have private insurance coverage. At the same time, Medicaid and SCHIP have increased the percentage of children and youth covered: in 1999, they covered 20.9 % and in 2005, 26.7% of the US population.
Uninsured children and youth are more likely than children with any type of insurance to lack a usual source of care, delay care or have unmet needs. These needs include primary preventive care, mental health and substance abuse services, and emergency services among others. They are about half as likely to received mental health services as those with insurance. An estimated 18,000 adults die each year because they are uninsured and cannot get appropriate health care. The health problems that are causing the deaths are diabetes, HIV/AIDS and mental health issues.
This data is from: Health Care Coverage in America: Understanding the Issues and Proposed Solutions, Update for 2007, prepared for Cover the Uninsured by the Alliance for Health Reform, Washington, DC.
http://www.allhealth.org.