How many are uninsured?
Early Release of Selected Estimates Based on Data From the 2006 National Health Interview Survey
CDC
June 2007
In 2006, the percentage uninsured at the time of interview was 14.8% (43.6 million), which was not significantly different from the 2005 estimate of 14.2% (41.1 million).
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/200706_01.pdf
CDC: About 2M More Americans Uninsured
Associated Press
June 26, 2007
The number of adults without health insurance jumped by 2 million from 2005 to 2006, according to a new federal report. Uninsured Americans numbered 43.6 million last year, a 6 percent increase from 2005, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Uninsured.html
US survey lowers uninsured numbers to 43.6 million
Reuters
June 25, 2007
Just under 44 million Americans had no health insurance in 2006, according to a survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Monday. Their survey of 100,000 Americans is lower than previous federal estimates of 46 million.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N25234092.htm
Census Bureau Revises 2004 and 2005 Health Insurance Coverage Estimates
U.S. Census Bureau
March 23, 2007
The revised estimates show that, in 2005, 44.8 million people, 15.3 percent of the population, were without health insurance — about 1.8 million fewer than the Census Bureau reported in August 2006 (46.6 million, 15.9 percent).
The Census Bureau discovered the need for a revision during a conversion to a more accurate operating system for the Current Population Survey.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/health_care_insurance/009789.html
Comment:
By Don McCanne, MD
How many in the United States are uninsured? According to the 2006 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) just released, 43.6 million are uninsured, an increase of 2.5 million from 2005. But the CDC states that the 2.5 million increase was “not statistically different” from 2005. The Associated Press reported this as an increase in the numbers of uninsured, and Reuters reported it as a decline. Even the U.S. Census Bureau has problems with its estimates, having recently revised the 2005 numbers from 46.6 million down to 44.8 million.
This does not stop others from manipulating these numbers further. Conservative groups have suggested that many of the uninsured should be ignored for various reasons, and that the uninsured status is only of concern for less than 10 million individuals. Progressive groups have suggested that these counts understate the severity of the problem in that, over a two year period, more than 80 million individuals are without insurance at some point during that time.
In a few weeks (August) the Census Bureau will release the Current Population Survey for 2006. For purposes of the reform dialogue, those will be the most reliable numbers.
The point is that we cannot let others change the debate by zeroing in on the problems with counting the numbers of uninsured. The real issue that needs to be addressed is that we have a health care financing system that is a disaster for the uninsured and for many of the the insured with health care needs.
We do not need to get into a food fight over the precise numbers of uninsured. There are a lot of them, and many are suffering physically and financially, and some are even dying. And a great many more of those who are victims actually have insurance. Do not let the opponents of reform divert you from this crucial message into a silly numbers game.