Uninsured: Selected Research & Readings
Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2004
An estimated 15.7 percent of the population, or 45.8 million people, were without health insurance coverage in 2004, up from 45.0 million in 2003 and 43.6 million in 2002. This report provides detailed information about the characteristics of the uninsured, including their race, age, nativity, residence, household income, and work experience.
(Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor and Cheryl Hill Lee, U.S. Census Bureau, August 2005)
The Domino Effect of the Uninsured
The number of uninsured is rising, with consequences for individuals, providers and society. The uninsured are more likely to have limited access to healthcare services leading to greater unmet medical needs and delayed care. Lack of insurance is a quality-of-life issue for those directly affected and a matter of economics for the system as a whole. This CHA Issue Brief explores the causes and effects of a large uninsured population and creative state and local solutions to combat the growing number of uninsured.
(Kirstin Craciun and Michele Egan, The Center for Health Affairs, April 2004)
Cuyahoga County’s Uninsured Adults and the Problems That They Face
The first article in this journal summarizes what is known about Cuyahoga County’s uninsured population based on the latest Ohio Family Health Survey, a telephone survey of nearly 40,000 households throughout the state. In 2003-2004 fewer than four percent of children in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County had no health insurance compared to 12 percent in 1998. The dramatic decrease in the number of uninsured children is largely attributed to eligibility expansions in the Ohio Children’s Health Insurance Program, marketing and outreach efforts. In contrast to children, over 14 percent of working-age adults in Cuyahoga County had no health insurance in 2003-2004. Of uninsured adults in Cuyahoga County, roughly one in four was African American, one in six was Hispanic and one in ten was white. Information on access to care, health care utilization rates and health status are also provided.
(George Weiner and Joseph Ahern, The Center for Community Solutions, May/June 2005)
Trends in U.S. Health Insurance Coverage, 2001-2003
The proportion of Americans under age 65 covered by employer-sponsored insurance fell from 67 percent to 63 percent between 2001 and 2003, according to findings from the Center for Studying Health System Change's (HSC) Community Tracking Study Household Survey. Expansion of public health insurance programs including Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) forestalled a significant increase in the uninsured, as the proportion of the under-65 population enrolled in public coverage increased from 9 percent to 12 percent.
(Bradley C. Strunk, James D. Reschovsky, Center for Studying Health System Change, August 2004)
The Impact of Immigration on Health Insurance Status in the United States
Immigrants accounted for 86 percent of the increase in the uninsured population in the U.S. between 1998 and 2003, according to this study from the Employee Benefit Research Institute. In 2003, more than 11 million immigrants in the United States were uninsured, accounting for roughly one of every four uninsured individuals in the country. States with the largest numbers of uninsured immigrants included California, Texas, New York and Florida.
(Paul Fronstin, Employee Benefit Research Institute, June 2005)
Trends in Health Insurance Coverage and Access Among Black, Latino and White Americans, 2001-2003
While rates of health insurance coverage changed little for non-elderly black, Latino and white Americans between 2001 and 2003, sources of coverage shifted, particularly for Latinos, from employer-sponsored coverage to public coverage. Blacks and Latinos are less likely than whites to have a regular caregiver, less likely to have seen a physician and more likely to see physicians in emergency rooms, according to this report.
(J. Lee Hargraves, Center for Studying Health System Change, October 2004)
Sicker and Poorer: The Consequences of Being Uninsured
This report reviews major findings from the past 25 years of health services research to determine the effects of health insurance coverage. Major findings include: the uninsured receive less preventive care, are diagnosed at more advanced disease stages, and once diagnosed, tend to receive less therapeutic care; having health insurance would reduce mortality rates for the uninsured by 10 to 15 percent; and better health would improve annual earnings by about 10 to 30 percent and would increase educational attainment. To access the full report, click here.
(The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, February 2003)
Last Updated: March 2006
