True Health Coverage Facts

The surmounting statistics of people without health insurance is alarming and has become one of the primary focuses during this election year. A recent Kaiser Commission Report discusses why in the U.S. lack health insurance and the detrimental affects on our society.

• 47 million Americans without health insurance (9 million are children) are in working families.

Eight in ten of Americans without Health insurance live in families with at least one worker. Uninsured workers typically are not offered employer sponsored insurance and cannot access it through a family member.

• More than eight in ten Americans without health insurance are in low or moderate-income families, with at least one worker.

About two-thirds of the uninsured Americans have incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level, which is roughly about $41,000 for a family of four in 2006. Approximately one in ten of those without health insurance are above 400% of poverty. Since the average annual cost of employer-sponsored family coverage in 2007 was $12,106. Only if they receive sizable employer contributions can the uninsured with lower incomes can only afford coverage.

• Most low- and moderate-income adults without Health Insurance are not eligible for Medicaid.

Medicaid coverage is primarily offered to low-income children, parents, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and the elderly. Regardless of income, most non-disabled adults under age 65 are not eligible for Medicaid unless they have dependent children.

About one-quarter of uninsured adults go without needed care due to cost each year. The uninsured are less likely to receive preventive care and services for major health conditions than those with insurance. Lack of timely care causes more than 20,000 uninsured adults to die prematurely each year.

• Medical bills are a burden for the uninsured and frequently leave them with debt.

The uninsured pay for more than one-third of their care out-of-pocket and are often charged higher amounts for their care than the insured pay. These bills often translate into excessive levels of medical debt since most of the uninsured have low or moderate incomes and have little, if any, savings.

Key Details:

• People without health insurance pay 35% of their care out-of-pocket.
• Children are more likely to be insured than non-elderly adults because of their eligibility to public coverage from Medicaid and SCHIP (the State Children’s Health Insurance Program).
• Uninsured people are typically billed for any care they receive, often paying higher charges than the insured.
• 23% of the uninsured adults report that they have borrowed money to pay their medical bills, a rate that is more than twice as high as the insured.
• These debts become burdensome for the uninsured since the average uninsured household has no net assets.
• People lacking health insurance often see their debts accumulate and their credit ratings compromised without sufficient income or assets to pay their medical bills
• Compared to 21% of insured adults, more than 37% of uninsured adults have been contacted by a collection agency about their about their medical debts in the past five years.
• Those without health insurance suffer from negative health consequences due to their lack of consistent necessary medical care. Approximately 20,000 adults without health care coverage die prematurely each year,