CENSUS BUREAU'S UNINSURED DATA REFLECTS AN OUTDATED ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT

The following is the statement of Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, regarding the number of uninsured Americans reported by the U.S. Census Bureau:

"The most important thing to underscore about the Census Bureau's report on the uninsured is the context of that data. The 39 million count of uninsured Americans is based on data collected for the year 2000 - before the economic slump; big jumps in unemployment; huge increases in health insurance premiums; and employers' increased willingness to pass on fast-rising health costs to their workers. Thus, the number of uninsured Americans today is probably well above 40 million - and is likely to grow in the period ahead.

"With respect to the Census Bureau's comparative numbers of uninsured Americans for 1999 and 2000, two important themes emerge. First, the reductions in uninsured Americans during the last one-year period is due to improved health coverage for children. The 600,000 decrease in the gross number of uninsured Americans is attributable to an almost 700,000 decrease in the number of uninsured children. Last year's Census Bureau report also showed significant reductions in the number of uninsured children. This means that the relatively new State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), enacted in 1997, is working and is extending its reach to more and more children.

"Second, Medicaid, the key public health program for lower-income populations, appears to be reaching more of the people who are most vulnerable to being uninsured. From 1999 to 2000, the number of uninsured with annual household incomes below $25,000 dropped from 15.0 million to 13.9 million. Among different economic groups, coverage only improved significantly among people in households with the lowest incomes.

"As the worsening economy and the repercussions of September 11 result in many people losing jobs, health coverage relief becomes increasingly urgent. It is time to make expanded health coverage, especially through existing public programs, an important national priority."

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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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