Study Shows More People Go Without Health Coverage As Insurance Costs Outpace Income Eight-Fold

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With Congress and the Obama administration discussing how to reform the nation’s health care system, a new analysis looks at what has happened since the last significant reform effort ended in 1994 without any comprehensive congressional action. At the Brink: Trends in America’s Uninsured 1994-2007 chronicles state-by-state health coverage trends. The report finds that over the last 15 years, nearly every state has seen increased numbers of uninsured residents, greater costs for workers while their incomes are flat, and significant erosion of private coverage. The report was prepared by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) at the University of Minnesota. Researchers averaged data from the U.S. Census Bureau from 1994-1996 and compared it with average figures from 2006-2007.

The report is being released during, Cover the Uninsured Week (March 22-28). The Week, organized by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and supported by 230 national organizations, is the largest, nonpartisan mobilization in history seeking solutions for the millions of Americans who are uninsured. Thousands of people will participate in more than 1,200 Cover the Uninsured Week events being held across the nation.

Read More:

• Read the Press Release [2]
• Read the Report Synopsis [3]
• Download the Full Report [4] (PDF)
• View a Map of U.S. Uninsured Workers [1]
• Learn about Cover the Uninsured [5]