46 million Americans uninsured? WRONG.
The 46 million figure has become a fixture of news stories and campaign speeches, but it turns out to be off by a factor of two:
New Report Finds 89.6 Million Americans Were Uninsured during 2006-2007
More than One Out of Three Non-Elderly Americans Were Uninsured
Washington, D.C. - Approximately 89.6 million Americans--more than one out of three people (34.7 percent) under 65 years of age--were uninsured at some point of time during 2006-2007, according to a report released today by the health consumer organization Families USA.
The report, based mainly on Census Bureau data, showed that most of these uninsured individuals lacked coverage for lengthy periods of time: nearly two-thirds (63.9 percent) were uninsured for six months or more; and more than half (50.2 percent) were uninsured for nine months or more.
The number of states where more than one-third of non-elderly people went without health insurance for all or part of a two-year period more than doubled--rising from nine states in 1999-2000 to 20 states plus the District of Columbia in 2006-2007. Texas had the highest rate with 45.7 percent of the non-elderly population uninsured. The other states are: New Mexico (44.3%); Arizona (41.8%); California (40.5%); Florida (40.1%); Mississippi (38.7%); Nevada (38.4%); Louisiana (38.1%); Oklahoma (37.7%); Georgia (37.6%); South Carolina (37.4%); Arkansas (37.2%); Utah (35.2%); Alabama (35.1%); the District of Columbia (35.1%); West Virginia (35.1%); Alaska (34.8%); North Carolina (34.6%); Oregon (34.6%); Colorado (34.2%); and Montana (33.9%).
"The huge number of people without health coverage over the past two years helps to explain why health care has become the top domestic issue in the 2008 presidential campaign," said Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA. "The expansion of health coverage in America is no longer simply a matter of altruism about other people but a matter of intense self-interest."
The report shows that four out of five of the uninsured (79.3%) were in working families: 70.6 percent were employed full-time, and 8.7 percent were employed part-time. In addition, nearly every age group was affected. Of the total 89.6 million uninsured, 64.2 million were between 18 and 64 years of age. More than one-third (34.9%) were ages 25 to 44--the age group that makes up the largest percentage of the uninsured.
The report also documents the large increase in the number of people who have experienced a loss or lack of health coverage. In the two-year period of 1999-2000, 72.5 million people went without health coverage--more than 17 million fewer than the people experiencing a lack of coverage in 2006-2007.
To clarify that last sentence, the number of the uninsured increased by 17 million between 1999-2000 and 2006-2007, leaving 89,600,000 men, women and children in the US with no form of health insurance.
Full report (41 page .pdf file) available here.