Who is uninsured?
In our country, people often associate being uninsured with
being unemployed. This assumption Unfortunately, employment is
not the leading factor in health insurance coverage. Nearly 65%
of America's non-elderly population lacks health insurance
despite the fact that they have a full-time job (Cover the
Uninsured, 2008). The pie chart below breaks down the categories
of non-elderly Americans without health insurance.
As you can see, a majority of uninsured, non-elderly Americans have some form of employment, yet lack health insurance coverage. Of all of the non-elderly without health insurance in the United States, only 17% of this group are unemployed. This debunks the stereotype that those without health insurance are so because they are unemployed. In reality, younger generally more healthy individuals tend to be the people that lack health insurance. The pie chart pictured below displays the breakdown of the non-elderly adult population by age in 2006. This chart shows that nearly 50% of non-elderly adults, ages of 25-44 years, are uninsured.
Aside from adults in America that are uninsured, a staggering 9 million children under the age of 18 also lack health insurance. Topping the charts are Hispanic children, who account for nearly 40% of America's uninsured children. Following them closely are white children that make up 35% of uninsured children in the U.S. Coming in third are black children, accounting for almost 20% of uninsured children. The following pie chart shows the percentage of uninsured among children by the work status of their family head in 2006. Note that the highest percentage of uninsured children come from families where at least one person has a full-year, full-time job.
Overall, it is unfortunate that although a majority of working-age Americans have full-time jobs, they are unable to provide health insurance for themselves and their families. A majority of health care in the U.S. is employer based, but the rising costs keep families from participating in these programs. In 2007 the average monthly premium for an employee based, family coverage program rose to nearly $275 per month. For some families this is the choice between paying the electric bill, buying groceries, and providing their children with a quality home to live in. Something needs to be done to start rewarding working-class citizens for their contributions to society. All families, especially children, deserve access to quality health care coverage.
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