50 Million Uninsured:
The Faces Behind the Headlines
Rachel Garfield, PhD
Senior Researcher and Associate Director
Kaiser Commission for Medicaid and the Uninsured
for
Alliance for Health Reform
Washington, DC
October 14, 2011
FIGURE 1
Health Insurance Coverage of the Nonelderly, 2010
Federal Poverty Level
400%+
139-399%
(Subsidies)
Employer-Sponsored
Insurance
Uninsured
Medicaid*
Private Non-Group
266 M Nonelderly
* Medicaid also includes other public programs: CHIP, other state programs, Medicare and militaryrelated coverage. The federal poverty level for a family of four in 2010 was $22,050.
Numbers may not add to 100 due to rounding.
SOURCE: KCMU/Urban Institute analysis of 2011 ASEC Supplement to the CPS.
<139%
(Medicaid)
FIGURE 2
Health Insurance Coverage of the Nonelderly by Poverty
Level, 2010
FPL= Federal Poverty Level. The FPL was $22,050 for a family of four in 2010.
Data may not total 100% due to rounding.
SOURCE: KCMU/Urban Institute analysis of 2011 ASEC Supplement to the CPS.
FIGURE 3
Median Medicaid/CHIP Eligibility Thresholds, January 2011
Minimum Medicaid Eligibility under Health Reform 133% FPL
($24,353 for a family of 3 in 2010)
SOURCE: Based on the results of a national survey conducted by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid
and the Uninsured and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, 2011
FIGURE 4
Average Annual Premium Costs for Covered Workers,
2001 and 2011
$15,073
$7,061
$5,429
$2,689
Single Coverage
Family coverage is defined as health coverage for a family of four.
SOURCE: Kaiser/HRET Employer Health Benefits Survey, 2011
Family Coverage
FIGURE 5
Characteristics of the Nonelderly Uninsured, 2010
400% FPL
and Above
251399%
FPL
Children
Adults
without
Dependent
Children
No
Workers
<100% FPL
Parents
100-250%
FPL
Total = 49.1 million uninsured
The federal poverty level was $22,050 for a family of four in 2010.
Data may not total 100% due to rounding.
SOURCE: KCMU/Urban Institute analysis of 2011 ASEC Supplement to the CPS.
Part-Time
Workers
1 or More
Full-Time
Workers
FIGURE 6
Uninsured Rates Among the Nonelderly by State, 2010
WA
VT
MT
ME
ND
NH
MA
MN
OR
MI
WY
IL
UT
CO
CA
RI
PA
IA
NE
NV
NY
WI
SD
ID
OH
IN
WV
KS
MO
KY
VA
NC
TN
AZ
NM
OK
SC
AR
MS
TX
AL
GA
LA
FL
AK
HI
<14% Uninsured (11 states)
14-18% Uninsured (21 states and DC)
>18% percent (18 states)
SOURCE: KCMU/Urban Institute analysis of 2011 ASEC Supplement to the CPS.
CT
NJ
DE
MD
DC
FIGURE 7
Access to Care by Health Insurance Status, 2010
Children
Nonelderly Adults
In past 12 months
Questions about dental care were analyzed for children age 2-17. All other questions were analyzed for all
children under age 18. MD contact includes other health professionals. Respondents who said usual source of
care was the emergency room were included among those not having a usual source of care. All differences
between the uninsured and the two insurance groups are statistically significant (p<0.05).
SOURCE: KCMU analysis of 2010 NHIS data.
FIGURE 8
Faces of the Uninsured
Will Wilson, 57
Chicago, IL
Chicago Tour Guide
Uninsured for 10 years
Living with AIDS
Margie Barlow, 38
Kalama, WA
Stephanie Shimko, 28
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Unemployed
Children covered by Medicaid
$30,000 of medical debt
Teacher & Grad Student
Spends $400/month out of
pocket to pay for diabetes
drugs