http://www.nchc.org/facts/coverage.shtml
This document is also available as a printable .pdf file.
Facts on Health Insurance Coverage
Facts on the Cost of Health Insurance Coverage
Most Americans have health insurance through their employers, yet employment is no longer a guarantee of health insurance coverage. As America continues to move from a manufacturing-based economy to a service economy, and employee
working patterns continue to evolve, health insurance coverage has become less stable.
The service sector offers less access to health insurance than its manufacturing counterparts.
Due to rising health insurance premiums, many small employers cannot afford to offer health benefits. Companies that do offer health insurance, often require employees to contribute a larger share toward their coverage. As a result,
an increasing number of Americans have opted not to take advantage of job-based health insurance because they cannot afford it.
How Many Americans Are Uninsured?
Several studies estimate the number of uninsured Americans. According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
nearly 47 million Americans, or 20 percent of the population under the age of 65, were without health insurance in 2008, their latest data available.1
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) estimated that the percentage of uninsured Americans under age 65 represented 27 percent of the population. According to the MEPS data, nearly 54 million Americans under the age of 65 were uninsured in the first-half of 2007. 2
A recent study shows that based on the effects of the recession alone (not job loss),
it is projected that nearly seven (7) million Americans will lose their health insurance coverage between 2008 and 2010. 3 Urban Institute researchers estimate that if unemployment reaches 10 percent, another six (6) million Americans will lose their health insurance coverage. Taking these numbers together, it is conceivable that by next year, 57 to 60 million Americans will be uninsured.
The Urban Institute estimates that under a worse case scenario, 66 million Americans will be uninsured by 2019. 4
Nearly 90 million people – about one-third of the population below the age of 65 spent a portion of either 2007 or 2008 without health coverage.5
Who Are the Uninsured?
The large majority of the uninsured (85 percent) are native or naturalized citizens.6
Nearly 1.1 million part-time workers lost their health insurance in 2008. 1
Over 8 in 10 uninsured people come from working families – almost 70 percent from families with one or 7
The percentage and the number of uninsured Hispanics was 31 percent and nearly 15 million in 2008.1
Why is the Number of Uninsured People Increasing?
Even if employees are offered coverage on the job, they can’t always afford their portion of the premium. Health insurance premiums have increased 131 percent for employers since 1999 and
employee spending for health insurance coverage (employee’s share of family coverage) has increased 128 percent between 1999 and 2008.7 Rapidly rising health insurance premiums are the main reason cited by all small firms for not offering coverage. Health insurance premiums are rising at extraordinary rates. The average annual increase in inflation has been 2.5 percent while health insurance premiums for small firms have escalated an average of 12 percent annually.7
Hardly! First he says I am a liar because I said he wasn't capable of skepticism and critical thought, then in the next post admits I am right by saying he's trying to apply it?
