Publications

The Uninsured: Who Are They and What Should Congress Do To Help?

By Laura Trueman

Who Are The Uninsured?

•	Census Bureau says there are 45 million people without health insurance, or 15% of the population.

•	More than half work in companies with less than 100 employees and more than a quarter work for companies of less than 10 employees.

•	The vast majority work… 81% work full or part-time, 54% work full-time.

•	45.8% earn incomes above 200% of poverty, which is $18,600 for an individual and $37,700 for a family of four.

•	16% of the uninsured have incomes over $75,000 and 30% have incomes over $50,000.

•	The largest single age category for the uninsured is between the ages of 19 and 24.

•	23% of the uninsured are already eligible for public health coverage through Medicaid and SCHIP, but have not enrolled.

•	More than 40% of the uninsured are only without coverage for four months are less. 30% of the noninsured are what we might label “chronically uninsured,” they are without coverage for more than a year.

•	One-fourth of the uninsured have turned down employer-sponsored coverage, most because they cannot afford their share of the premium.

Bottom Line: Experts think that 20 –25 million people are chronically uninsured, lack eligibility for public coverage, and cannot afford health insurance without assistance.What Should Congress Do to Provide Coverage to the Uninsured?

•	Expanding government welfare programs should not be the primary answer.

•	Helping people afford private coverage should be the focus.

•	Recommendations include:
	1. Advanceable and Refundable tax credits that can people can use to purchase private coverage.
	2. Aggressive enrollment of those who are already eligible for public programs.
	3. Ensure that all states have a High Risk Pool to help those 7-9% with chronic illnesses that make them prohibitively expensive to insure. (Currently, 33 states have high-risk pools.)
	4. Provide a “mini” tax credit to the 15% of individuals who have access to employer-sponsored coverage but have not been able to afford their share of the premium.What Proposals Do President Bush and Senator Kerry Have to Reduce the Uninsured?

What Proposals Do President Bush and Senator Kerry Have to Reduce the Uninsured?

Details of BUSH PLAN	AEI 2006-2015
Low-income tax credit	$82 B
Small employer tax credit	$21 B
Above-the-line deduction	$22 B
Private insurance market reforms	$4 B
Total cost	$129 B
Newly insured	6.7 M

Details of KERRY PLAN	AEI 2006-2015
Medicaid and SCHIP expansions	$881 B
Premium rebate	$573 B
Tax breaks	$182 B
Total federal cost	$1.6 T
Offsetting savings	$116 B
Net cost	$1.5 T
Newly insured	27.3 M

About 68% (18.5 million) of the newly insured under Kerry's plan would get covered through Medicaid expansion.

Kerry proposes to pay for his $1.5 trillion dollar package by repealing the tax cuts for those making over $200,000. However, one panelist said that repealing ALL of Bush's tax cuts for both the middle and upper class would produce $1.7 trillion over 10 years.

Utilized during a speech to the annual Washington meeting of Women Impacting Public Policy