The percentage of the nation's population without health insurance increased from 15.4 percent in 2008 to 16.7 percent in 2009, according to data released in September by the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to the Census Bureau's "Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2009" report, the number of uninsured people increased from 46.3 million in 2008 to 50.7 million in 2009.
The number of people with health insurance decreased from 255.1 million in 2008 to 253.6 million in 2009, the report said. This is the first year that the number of people with health insurance has decreased since 1987, the first year in which comparable health insurance data was collected.
"This new data is not surprising given the toll the recession has taken on working individuals and families," said Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States. "However, we can look to the future with some hope because health reform will eventually enable 32 million people currently without any health coverage to obtain meaningful, affordable insurance."
The Census Bureau also reported that the number of people covered by private health insurance decreased from 201 million in 2008 to 194.5 million in 2009, while the number of people covered by government health insurance increased from 87.4 million in 2008 to 93.2 million in 2009.
Between 2008 and 2009, the percentage of people covered by private health insurance decreased from 66.7 percent to 63.9 percent and the percentage of people covered by employment-based health insurance decreased from 58.5 percent to 55.8 percent.
The percentage of the population covered by employment-based health insurance is the lowest since 1987.
"The new data show a striking divergence between declines in private insurance and expanded coverage through federally supported programs," said Robert Greenstein, executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "The increase in the ranks of the uninsured would have been substantially greater if not for Medicaid and CHIP, which covered more people as the number of people lacking employer-based insurance swelled."
Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis said the Census Bureau report highlights the urgent need for the provisions included in the Affordable Care Act to provide middle-class families with affordable options if they lose coverage through their jobs.
Provisions of the law that take effect in 2014 are designed to bring sweeping change to insurance coverage for many Americans, she said, ensuring that future economic recessions do not jeopardize the health security and access to care of working families.
"The nation cannot afford to ignore the plight of millions of Americans whose health is at risk and whose health and productivity are key to revitalizing the American economy," Davis said.