Number: 96-891 Title: Health Insurance Coverage: Characteristics of the Insured and Uninsured Populations in 2007 Authors: Chris L. Peterson and April Grady, Domestic Social Policy Division Abstract: Based on data from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS), 45.7 million people in the United States had no health insurance in 2007 - a decrease of approximately 1.3 million people when compared with 2006. Although it was statistically unchanged in 2007, the percentage of people covered by employment-based coverage has dropped in every other year since 2000. Whether the uninsured rate rose in response depended on how much of the employment-based decrease was offset by increases in public coverage. In 2007, Medicare and Medicaid coverage rates increased, and the uninsured rate declined from 15.8% in 2006 to 15.3% in 2007. Mostly because of Medicare, only 1.9% of those age 65 and older were uninsured in 2007. In contrast, 17.1% of those under age 65 were uninsured. Among the nonelderly uninsured, more than half were in families with a full-time, full-year worker. Young adults were more likely to be uninsured than any other age group, and Hispanic individuals had the highest uninsured rate among race/ethnicity groups. Pages: 6 Date: September 3, 2008