Health Insurance Coverage: 2005

• The number of people with health insurance coverage increased from 245.9 million in 2004 to 247.3 million in 2005.



• In 2005, 46.6 million people were without health insurance coverage, up from 45.3 million people in 2004.



• The percentage of people without health insurance coverage increased from 15.6 percent in 2004 to 15.9 percent in 2005.



• The historical record is marked by a 12-year period from 1987 to 1998 when the uninsured rate (12.9 percent in 1987) either increased or was not statistically different from one year to the next (Figure 7).2 After peaking at 16.3 percent in 1998, the rate fell for two years in a row to 14.2 percent in 2000. The rate then increased until 2003-2004, where it remained at 15.6 percent, before it increased to 15.9 percent in 2005.



• The percentage of people covered by employment-based health insurance decreased between 2004 and 2005, from 59.8 percent to 59.5 percent.



• While the number of people covered by government health programs increased between 2004 and 2005, from 79.4 million to 80.2 million, the percentage of people covered by government health insurance remained at 27.3 percent. There was no statistical difference in the number or the percentage of people covered by Medicaid (38.1 million and 13.0 percent, respectively) between 2004 and 2005.



• The percentage and the number of children (people under 18 years old) without health insurance increased between 2004 and 2005, from 10.8 percent to 11.2 percent and from 7.9 million to 8.3 million, respectively. With an uninsured rate at 19.0 percent in 2005, children in poverty were more likely to be uninsured than all children.



• The uninsured rate and the number of uninsured remained statistically unchanged from 2004 to 2005 for non-Hispanic Whites (at 11.3 percent and 22.1 million) and for Blacks (at 19.6 percent and 7.2 million).



• The number of uninsured increased for Hispanics (from 13.5 million in 2004 to 14.1 million in 2005); their uninsured rate was not statistically different at 32.7 percent in 2005.