RON POLLACK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FAMILIES USA ON CENSUS REPORTING DECLINE IN NUMBER OF UNINSURED

The following statement was released today by Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, about the Census Bureau's reporting a 1.7 million decline in the number of uninsured Americans:

"The new Census Bureau numbers showing the first decline in the number of uninsured Americans since 1987 is welcome news but is no cause for celebration. It is like a morning drizzle after a prolonged drought.

"Some specific aspects of the new report are heartening. Perhaps most significantly, the number of uninsured children has dropped from 11.1 million to 10 million. This demonstrates that the new Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is beginning to work - and, since 1999 marked the earliest stages of CHIP implementation, it augurs well for continued enrollment improvements in CHIP and Medicaid. Similarly, the increase in employer-based coverage is a sign the nation's strong economy is now producing increased health coverage in the workplace.

"But there are very troubling signs as well, especially for low-wage working families. Today, almost half of low-income, full-time workers are uninsured. Approximately one-third of the people with incomes below the federal poverty line continue to be uninsured. Part of this problem, no doubt, is because many people lost health coverage when they moved from welfare to entry-level jobs that have no health care benefits.

"Most sobering is that this report comes at a time when the economy is doing extraordinarily well. It should, therefore, be a call to national action so that expanded health coverage, especially for low-wage working people and families, gets immediate attention before unemployment, inflation and health costs increase once again."

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Families USA is the national organization for health care consumers. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

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