How to Understand the Breakdown of the Uninsured in the U.S.

There are an estimated 46.3 million uninsured Americans as of 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, accounting for approximately 15.4 percent of the population. The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) indicates that the number of people who lack health insurance coverage in the U.S. has continued to increase over the past decade, largely because of population and immigration growth, in addition to individual choice. The health care crisis in the United States is a complex issue that continues to be debated by government bodies, even though the Obama Administration passed a landmark Health Care Reform Act in 2010.

Instructions

• 1

  Realize that approximately 13.7 million uninsured families have a household income of less than $25,000 per year. This data contributes significantly to understanding the breakdown of the uninsured in the U.S. While many of these individuals may qualify for Medicaid or the S-CHIP, it is estimated that around 14 million of those people could have public coverage but they have not applied for it. However, not all lower income people qualify for Medicaid. This is because Medicaid eligibility is based upon both income level and a specific population category. Population groups that generally qualify for Medicaid are children and their parents, pregnant females and individuals who are classified as elderly or disabled. That leaves a substantial number of working class people out of the mix.

• 2

  Know that even adults with the very lowest of incomes, due to the stringent rules imposed by the program, do not generally qualify for government assisted health coverage. Therefore, the uninsured are more likely to be childless adults than parents and represent approximately 45 percent of the U.S. population under the age of 65 which accounts for around 57 percent of the uninsured.

• 3

  Understand that the second level of income greatly affected by lack of insurance in the U.S. are those within the $25,000 to $50,000 yearly income range, which accounts for nearly 15 million residents. While this group admittedly earns slightly more income, it is still not sufficient for the average household to afford the increasingly expensive family health insurance plans which run in excess of $12,000 annually.

• 4

  Be aware that there are nearly 18 million uninsured people living in households that earn above $50,000, over half of which exceed $75,000 annually. While this fact may be perplexing, these 9.7 million people fall into a category where there is considerable uncertainty as to how many of them can actually afford health coverage. While many of the people in this category can in fact afford some kind of health insurance, often it is a high cost and deductible plan with limited benefits. Because health care costs continue to rise faster than incomes, the number of uninsured in the U.S. will continue to rise in the foreseeable future.