Rate of Uninsured U.S. Residents Remained at About 15.7% Between 2003, 2004, Census Data Indicate
The number of uninsured people in the U.S. increased by 800,000, to 45.8 million people, in 2004, but the percentage of uninsured remained unchanged from 2003 at 15.7%, according to the Census Bureau's annual report on poverty, health insurance and income, the Detroit Free Press reports. The report, released on Aug. 30, found that:
- 59.8% of people received employer-sponsored health care coverage in 2004, compared with 60.4% in 2003 (Norris, Detroit Free Press, 8/31);
- The percentage and number of children who were uninsured remained unchanged between 2003 and 2004 at 11.2%, or 8.3 million;
- The Midwest had the lowest uninsured rate in 2004 at 11.9%; the Northeast had an uninsured rate of 13.2%; the West, 17.4%; and the South, 18.3%;
- Uninsured rates remained unchanged in 2004 for whites (11.3%), blacks (19.7%) and Latinos (32.7%);
- The rate of uninsured Asians declined from 18.8% in 2003 to 16.8% in 2004;
- 33.7% of foreign-born residents were uninsured in 2004, the same as in 2003, but the rate for the native-born population increased from 13.0% in 2003 to 13.3% in 2004 (CQ HealthBeat, 8/30);
- 27.2% of the U.S. population received health coverage through government programs such as Medicaid in 2004, compared with 26.6% in 2003 (Weisman/Connolly, Washington Post, 8/31); and
- The poverty rate in 2004 increased by 1.1 million people to 12.7%, mostly concentrated in the Midwest (Miller/Paulson, Christian Science Monitor, 8/31).