Insurance Coverage
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Poverty Rose, Median Income Declined, and Job-Based Health Insurance Continued to Weaken in 2008
September 10, 2009
Poverty increased, median household income fell, and the percentage of Americans with employer-based health coverage continued to decline in 2008, according to Census data for 2008 issued today. The figures reflect the initial effects of the recession. Median household income declined 3.6 percent in 2008 after adjusting for … -
Private Health Coverage Declined, Became Less Secure in 2008
September 10, 2009
The Census Bureau reported today that 46.3 million U.S. residents lacked health insurance in 2008, an increase of 632,000 over the previous year. [1] Nearly 6.6 million more people were uninsured in 2008 than in 2001, when the previous recession hit bottom. The proportion of the population without health insurance climbed to … -
Statement: Greenstein on Census’ 2008 Health Insurance and Poverty Data
September 10, 2009
Today’s grim Census Bureau report shows the nation lost substantial ground in 2008 on poverty, median income, and the number of people who are uninsured. Several aspects of the Census report stand out. The number of people living in poverty jumped by 2.6 million to 39.8 million — the highest since 1960. The poverty rate … -
Podcast: Examining the New 2008 Census Data on Poverty, Income, and Health Insurance Coverage
September 10, 2009
Robert Greenstein discusses today’s grim Census Bureau report that shows the nation lost substantial ground in 2008 on poverty, median income, and the number of people who are uninsured. Several aspects of the Census report are highlighted.
Duration: 11:59
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Coburn-Ryan Health Bill Would Jeopardize Coverage for Many, While Failing To Reduce the Number of Uninsured Significantly
July 30, 2009
The Patients’ Choice Act, introduced by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), would likely fail to make major progress in reducing the number of uninsured Americans. It also would make affordable, comprehensive coverage less available for many who currently have coverage. Plan Would … -
Allowing Multiple Insurance Exchanges in a Single Area Would Make It Harder to Obtain Affordable, Good-Quality Coverage
July 8, 2009
The new insurance exchanges that policymakers are contemplating as part of national health reform could greatly improve people’s access to affordable, decent-quality health insurance, reduce insurers’ ability to “cherry pick” healthy enrollees, and help reduce administrative costs within the health insurance market. But allowing … -
Statement: Robert Greenstein to Health Reform Financing Roundtable of the Senate Finance Committee
May 12, 2009
Thank you for inviting me to discuss health care reform financing issues. This is an important aspect of health care reform. Financing is Critical Some 46 million Americans are uninsured, a problem that other western industrialized nations have been able to address. In addition, rising health care costs … -
Insuring All Americans Is a Critical Component of an Efficient, High Quality Health Care System
April 21, 2009
Health care reform should have two key goals — containing health care costs while improving its quality, and extending coverage to the 46 million Americans who are uninsured. These two goals fit together, because extending coverage is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to containing costs. Stated another … -
Measure in House Recovery Package — But Not Senate Package — Would Help Unemployed Parents Receive Health Coverage
February 9, 2009
The economic recovery package that the House passed on January 28 would establish a temporary option for states to provide Medicaid coverage to certain workers (and their families) who have become unemployed during this recession. This provision, which is not in the Senate package, would help address a problem many parents face … -
Challenges of Providing Health Coverage for Children and Parents in a Recession
January 27, 2009
http://www.kff.org/medicaid/upload/7855.pdf -
Policy Basics: Introduction to Medicaid
December 17, 2008
What Is Medicaid? Created by Congress in 1965, Medicaid is a public insurance program that provides health coverage to low-income families and individuals, including children, parents, seniors, and people with disabilities. Medicaid is funded jointly by the federal government and the states. Each state operates its own Medicaid program within … -
Poverty and Share of Americans Without Health Insurance Were Higher in 2007 - And Median Income for Working-Age Households Was Lower - Than at the Bottom of Last Recession
August 26, 2008
The number of Americans in poverty climbed by 816,000 in 2007, while the poverty rate remained statistically unchanged, overall median income rose modestly, and the number and percentage of Americans without health insurance fell somewhat, according to Census data issued today. But the poverty rate remained higher, median income for working-age … -
Robert Greenstein on Census' 2007 Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Data
August 26, 2008
Despite modest improvements in overall median income and health insurance coverage, the new Census data are disquieting. Though 2007 was the sixth (and likely the final) year of an economic expansion, 4.4 million more Americans were poor, the median income of non-elderly households was $1,100 lower, and nearly 6 million more Americans were uninsured than in 2001 — … -
More Americans, Including More Children, Now Lack Health Insurance
Revised August 31, 2007
The number of uninsured Americans rose for the sixth consecutive year in 2006, to 47.0 million,[1], [2] and the number of uninsured children rose for the second straight year, to 8.7 million, according to Census data released on August 28. Between 1998, the year the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was implemented, and 2004, the number of uninsured children fell every … -
Number and Percentage of Americans Who Are Uninsured Climbs Again in 2006
Revised August 31, 2007
New Census data show that in 2006, both the number and the percentage of Americans who are uninsured hit their highest levels since 1999, the first year for which comparable data are available, with 2.2 million more Americans — and 600,000 more children — joining the ranks of the uninsured in 2006. The new Census figures also show that while the overall poverty rate declined slightly … -
Statement by Robert Greenstein on the 2006 Census Bureau Data on Poverty, Income, and Health Insurance
Revised August 31, 2007
The new Census figures are disappointing for the fifth year of an economic recovery —showing a significant decline in poverty for people over 65 but no significant decline in poverty for children or adults aged 18 to 64, and only a modest improvement in median income. In 2006, the poverty rate … -
Census Revises Estimates of the Number of Uninsured People
April 5, 2007
On March 23, the Census Bureau announced that it has revised estimates of the number of uninsured people for 2004 and 2005, after it detected an error in how data from its Current Population Survey have been tabulated. The number and percentage of people who were uninsured in 2005 changed from 46.6 million (15.9 percent of the population) to … -
Administration Policy Change Threatens Health Care Coverage for Poor Infants
Revised December 11, 2006
Since 1984, federal Medicaid law has required that states provide one year of automatic Medicaid eligibility to babies whose mothers are sufficiently poor that the baby’s birth was covered by Medicaid.[2] For the past 22 years, these babies have been able to get check-ups and other health care services that can be … -
Documenting Citizenship and Identity Using Data Matches
September 1, 2006
Under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), U.S. citizens must document their citizenship and identity when applying for Medicaid or renewing their coverage. The new requirement, which took effect on July 1, could jeopardize the health coverage of substantial numbers of eligible citizens who are unable to secure the required … -
The Number of Uninsured Americans Is At An All-Time High
August 29, 2006
Data released today by the Census Bureau show that the number of uninsured Americans stood at a record 46.6 million in 2005, with 15.9 percent of Americans lacking health coverage. “The number of uninsured Americans reached an all-time high in 2005,” said Robert Greenstein, executive director of the Center on Budget and … -
Revised Medicaid Documentation Requirement Jeopardizes Coverage For 1 To 2 Million Citizens
July 13, 2006
The Deficit Reduction Act signed by the President in February contains a new mandate requiring the 50 million U.S. citizens who receive Medicaid coverage, as well as all future citizen applicants for Medicaid, to prove their citizenship by providing documents such as birth certificates or U.S. passports. In January, the Center on … -
Press Releease: Medicaid ID Rule Could Put Health Coverage At Risk For 3 To 5 Million U.S. Citizens Starting July 1
June 30, 2006
A new rule requiring U.S. citizens to prove their citizenship when applying for or renewing Medicaid benefits is expected to jeopardize coverage for several million qualified citizens, from elderly people in nursing homes to foster children, according to a national survey conducted by the Center on … -
Survey Indicates Deficit Reduction Act Jeopardizes Medicaid Coverage For 3 To 5 Million U.S. Citizens
Revised February 17, 2006
The Deficit Reduction Act signed by the President on February 8th contains a new mandate requiring U.S. citizens covered by Medicaid to prove their citizenship by submitting a birth certificate or passport (or a limited set of similar documents) or else lose their Medicaid coverage. Beginning July 1, 2006, this provision will apply … -
Press Release: Administration’s Health Savings Accounts Proposals Would Cause Net Increase In Number Of Uninsured
February 15, 2006
A new analysis by one of the nation’s leading health economists finds that the Administration’s proposals to expand tax breaks for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) would cause a net increase in the number of uninsured Americans. The analysis, conducted by Jonathan Gruber of M.I.T., projects that while 3.8 million previously uninsured people would gain health coverage through HSAs as a result of the President’s proposals, 4.4 million people would … -
New Congressional Budget Office Estimates Indicate Millions of Low-Income Beneficiaries Would Be Harmed by Medicaid Provisions in Budget Bill
January 29, 2006
On January 27, the Congressional Budget Office issued a new analysis of the Medicaid provisions of the budget reconciliation conference agreement,[1] on which the House of Representatives is expected to vote February 1. The conference agreement, which the Senate passed 51-50 in late December with Vice President Cheney breaking the … -
New Survey Finds 3 To 5 Million Citizens’ Medicaid Coverage Jeopardized By Budget Reconciliation Bill
January 26, 2006
On February 1, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the budget reconciliation agreement, which contains a little-noticed mandate requiring U.S. citizens covered by Medicaid to prove their citizenship by submitting a birth certificate or passport or lose their Medicaid coverage. … -
New Requirement for Birth Certificates or Passports Could Threaten Medicaid Coverage for Vulnerable Beneficiaries
January 5, 2006
The Deficit Reduction Act, which was signed by the President on February 8th, contains a provision that would require all citizens applying for Medicaid or renewing their coverage to produce a passport or birth certificate to prove they are U.S. citizens. There would be no exceptions for any Medicaid applicants or beneficiaries, not even individuals … -
Press Release: New Documentation Rule Threatens Medicaid Coverage For Many
January 5, 2006
A bill nearing final passage in Congress that would cut programs such as Medicaid, student loans, and child support enforcement contains a little-noticed provision that would require all citizens applying for Medicaid to produce a passport or a birth certificate to prove they are U.S. citizens. The … -
Poverty, Income, and Health Insurance Tables
October 19, 2005
Sources, Definitions, and Footnotes Poverty Tables: Download PDF | Download Excel Spreadsheet Table 1: Persons in Poverty, by Race and Hispanic Origin Table 2: Female-Headed Families with Children in Poverty, by Race and Hispanic Origin Table 3: … -
Statement: Robert Greenstein on Administration Mischaracterizations Regarding the Economy and New Data on Poverty, Income, and Health Insurance
August 31, 2005
Yesterday, the Census Bureau released data that showing that in 2004 — the third full year of the economic recovery — poverty increased, the earnings of full-time workers fell, the income of the typical non-elderly household also fell, and the number of Americans … -
The Number of Uninsured Americans Continued To Rise In 2004
August 30, 2005
Data released today by the Census Bureau show that the number of uninsured Americans stood at 45.8 million in 2004, an increase of 800,000 people over the number uninsured in 2003 (45.0 million). The percentage of people without health insurance, 15.7 percent in 2004, was not significantly different from the 15.6 percent rate in 2003. … -
Medicaid and SCHIP Protected Insurance Coverage for Millions of Low-Income Americans
January 31, 2005
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that the ranks of uninsured Americans have grown substantially since 2000. It is less commonly known, however, that the number of those uninsured would have been millions higher had it not been for enrollment growth in Medicaid and its sister program, the State Children’s Health …
