August 28, 2007

The 2006 Census Bureau data released today does little to support the contention that America is experiencing a "crisis" of the uninsured. While the latest data shows an increase in the overall number of uninsured Americans, the increase is largely due to population growth and immigration, according to experts with the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA).

            "It's never as simple as the numbers might indicate," said Devon Herrick, senior fellow with the NCPA. "Over the past ten years, the overall percentage of the uninsured has changed very little."

            According to the Census Bureau data for 2006:

• More than 84 percent (250.4 million) of the 297.4 million U.S. residents were privately insured or enrolled in a government health program, such as Medicare, Medicaid or State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP).
• An additional 10 million to 14 million adults and children qualified for government programs but have not enrolled, experts estimate.
• Nearly 18 million additional uninsured people live in households with annual incomes above $50,000 and could likely afford health insurance.
• By these estimates, nearly 10 percent theoretically have access but have chosen to forgo insurance. The remaining portion (about 6 percent of the population) earns less than $50,000 annually.

            "Census Bureau data might be a good indicator of the demographics involved, but pure numbers fail to account for the how's and why's of uninsurance," continued Herrick. "A true solution lies in understanding why people who could otherwise afford insurance aren't buying it. Only then can we make the purchase of insurance more cost-effective, and attractive to the uninsured."

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