Profile of Uninsured Americans
Author: Short, Pamela Farley
Date Published: 1989
This report presents estimates of both the size and demographic and employment-related characteristics of the uninsured population from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey. Data from the first round of the Household Survey Component indicate that 177 million persons were covered by private health insurance and 24 million were covered by public programs; this left nearly 37 million uninsured. The uninsured represented about 15 percent of the total civilian noninstitutionalized population in 1987. Gaps in insurance coverage were found among young adults, blacks and Hispanics, the unmarried, and in families without a working adult. Low-wage or part-time workers, the self-employed, workers in industries with seasonal or temporary employment, and employees of small firms were likewise at higher than average risk of being uninsured. As much as 25 percent of adult workers under age 65 and their families lacked work-related coverage through employers or labor unions. This confirms previous findings that in terms of absolute numbers, most of the uninsured population under the age 65 is in fact composed of workers and their families.
Date Published: 1989
This report presents estimates of both the size and demographic and employment-related characteristics of the uninsured population from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey. Data from the first round of the Household Survey Component indicate that 177 million persons were covered by private health insurance and 24 million were covered by public programs; this left nearly 37 million uninsured. The uninsured represented about 15 percent of the total civilian noninstitutionalized population in 1987. Gaps in insurance coverage were found among young adults, blacks and Hispanics, the unmarried, and in families without a working adult. Low-wage or part-time workers, the self-employed, workers in industries with seasonal or temporary employment, and employees of small firms were likewise at higher than average risk of being uninsured. As much as 25 percent of adult workers under age 65 and their families lacked work-related coverage through employers or labor unions. This confirms previous findings that in terms of absolute numbers, most of the uninsured population under the age 65 is in fact composed of workers and their families.
