,Who are the Uninsured?

Who are the Uninsured?


 

Publication Date: January 2008

Publisher: New America Foundation

Author(s): Sarah Axeen; Elizabeth Carpenter

Research Area: Health

Keywords: Health Insurance; Uninsured

Type: Brief

Abstract:

In August 2007, the Census Bureau estimated that there are 47 million uninsured Americans. But, who are the uninsured? There is no single profile of an uninsured American. The uninsured are a heterogeneous mix of adults and children from varying economic, racial, and geographic backgrounds. The data tell us that the problem of the uninsured is worsening.

When combined with rising health care costs, uninsurance represents one of the largest domestic challenges facing our nation.