Benefits August 6, 2001

Young, Single, Hispanics More Likely To Lack Insurance: Study

August 6, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - While just 16.1% of the American population was without health insurance last year, young adults, Hispanics and single individuals were disproportionately likely to be uncovered, according to a new study.
Reported by

The 44 million people who had no health insurance coverage were roughly equivalent to the 42.8 million in that status in 1999, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s 2000 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

Survey Says

Get more!  Sign up for PLANSPONSOR newsletters.

The survey found that:

  • Young adults (ages 19-24) were at the greatest risk of being uninsured, with a third of this group lacking health insurance. This group made up 17.2% of the uninsured population, although it was just 9.5% of the total population.
  • Hispanics accounted for one-fourth (24.9%) of the uninsured non-elderly population but represented just 12.9% of the entire population under 65.
  • Those who never married also accounted for nearly a quarter (23.7%) of the non-elderly population but were more than a third (36.5%) of the of the uninsured population.

Roughly a third (32.1%) of those under 65 who were separated were uninsured.

«