,The Decline in the Uninsured in 2007: Why Did It Happen and Can It Last?

The Decline in the Uninsured in 2007: Why Did It Happen and Can It Last?


 

Publication Date: October 2008

Publisher: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

Author(s): John Holahan; Allison Cook

Research Area: Health

Type: Brief

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

This policy brief examines the underlying shifts in health insurance coverage in 2007, which resulted in a 1.5 million decrease in the number of uninsured people under age 65, due to increased public coverage. This includes about 300,000 in Massachusetts, which implemented its comprehensive health reform that year. The brief also projects that the current economic downturn and rising unemployment rate likely will cause the number of uninsured to grow by at least 2 million in 2008.