Uninsured and Underinsured Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: How many people lack health insurance in the United States?
Answer: In 2010, the percentage of people without health insurance, 16.3 percent, was not statistically different from the rate in 2009. The number of uninsured people increased to 49.9 million in 2010 from 49.0 million in 2009.
The percentage of people covered by private health insurance decreased in 2010 to 64.0 percent, while the number of people covered by private health insurance was not statistically different from 2009, at 195.9 million. The percentage of people covered by private health insurance has been decreasing since 2001.
Source:
Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010, U.S. Census Bureau, 2011
Question: How many rural Americans are without health insurance?
Answer: A greater proportion of rural residents than urban residents are uninsured or covered through public sources. As population density and proximity to urban areas decrease, rural uninsured rates increase. In the smallest and most remote rural areas (population less than 2,500), the uninsured rate is 23% compared to an urban rate of 19%.
Between 1997 and 2005, public sources of coverage – Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare, and TRICARE – have been particularly important in offsetting loss of private coverage in rural areas.
Compared to urban adults, rural adults are more likely to be not employed or to work for employers that do not sponsor health insurance coverage.
Source:
Profile of Rural Health Insurance Coverage: A Chartbook, Maine Rural Health Research Center, 2009
Question: Who are the rural uninsured?
Answer: The rural uninsured often work for small firms and are paid low wages.
- Workers employed by small firms represent 69% of the uninsured in rural, not adjacent areas compared to 59% in adjacent and urban areas.
- In rural, not adjacent areas, low-wage workers represent 67% of the uninsured, compared to 53% in urban areas.
Source:
Profile of Rural Health Insurance Coverage: A Chartbook, Maine Rural Health Research Center, 2009.
Credits
Last revised 11/08/2011
