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Baby Boomers are in better standing than others when it comes to being uninsured.
A review of health insurance coverage by Families USA shows that as a group Americans aged 45 to 64 account for 21.1 percent of the 86.7 million Americans who were uninsured at some point between 2007-2008.
Families USA, a health care advocacy group, said that as a percentage of the entire population 25 to 44 year olds had the biggest number of uninsureds at 35.4 percent, followed by 0-18 years old at 30.7 percent. The 19 to 24 year old group has the lowest percentage of the entire population at 13.8 percent.
But within each age group the percentages of uninsured takes on a different character:
- 33.8 percent of 0-18 year olds were uninsured;
- 49.5 percent of 19-24 year olds were uninsured;
- 36.3 percent of 25-44 year olds were uninsured;
- 25.5 percent of 45-54 year olds were uninsured;
- 21.2 percent of 55-64 year olds were uninsured.
The fact that the numbers decrease as the age group gets older is good news for Baby Boomers, but of little comfort to Families USA.
“The huge number of people without health coverage is worse than an epidemic,” Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, said in a release.
“At this point, almost everyone in the country has had a family member, neighbor, or friend who was uninsured, and that’s why meaningful health care reform can no longer be kept on the back burner.”
The report comes as the administration of President Barack Obama prepares to tackle health care reform in a meaningful way.
And none too soon, according to Families USA.
“Inaction on health care reform in 2009 cannot be an option for the tens of millions of people who lack or lose health coverage each year,” said Pollack. “The cost of doing nothing is much too high: More and more people would fail to get the health care they need or would risk being bankrupted by unaffordable health care costs.”
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Comments
Um...Families USA is not a "health care advocacy group." They are a "single-payer health REFORM advocacy group."
They have an agenda. Congrats for printing their press release verbatim. Perhaps you missed the controversy yesterday when over 200 mainstream media outlets were exposed for having been suckered in the same way.
Are you uninsured in America? You should check out the website www.UninsuredAmerica.blogspot.com - John Mayer, California
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