The percentage of the nation's population without health insurance increased to 16.7 percent in 2009 from 15.4 percent in 2008, according to the latest data released Thursday by the 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 to 50.7 million in 2009 from 46.3 million in 2008.
The number of people with health insurance decreased to 253.6 million in 2009 from 255.1 million in 2008, 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.
The number of people covered by private health insurance decreased to 194.5 million in 2009 from 201 million in 2008, while the number of people covered by government health insurance increased to 93.2 million in 2009 from 87.4 million in 2008, the Census Bureau reported.
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 report found.
Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis said the report illustrates that the recession has taken a harsh toll on Americans' access to healthcare.
Davis said the 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.