The number of people without health insurance dropped from 47 million in 2006 to 45.7 million in 2007, according to a new U.S. Census report released on Tuesday. The report also suggested that the number of uninsured children declined from 8.7 million in 2006 to 8.1 million in 2007.
However, some industry experts cautioned against gaining false hope as a result of the data.
Don McCanne, senior policy fellow at Physicians for a National Health Program, said the slight decline in the number of insured was a result of an expansion in those covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
"The percentage of people covered by government health insurance programs increased by 2.7 million," McCanne said. "Were it not for this increase, the uninsured numbers would have surpassed the 2006 figure."
McCanne called the number of uninsured, even with the recent decline, "unacceptably high." In addition, 8.1 million uninsured children is "a scandalous figure," he added.
According to McCanne, the Census Bureau report does not address several factors, including the explosion in the incidence of underinsurance.
"Not having health insurance, or having poor quality insurance that doesn't protect you from financial hardship in the face of medical need, is a source of mounting stress, anguish and poor medical outcomes for people across our country," McCanne said.
Disparities among the uninsured remain troubling, he added. According to the Census report, African Americans are almost twice as likely to be uninsured as whites, and Hispanics are three times more likely to be uninsured. While whites posted slight improvements in coverage in 2007, "such gains are of little consolation when compared to the enormity of these disparities," he said.
McCanne said fundamental healthcare reform is possible through a single-payer system that would give Americans freedom to choose their own providers while pooling funds to cut costs and increase care efficiency.
Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, said the new Census data shows the importance of America's safety net insurance system, Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP).
"The major bright spot in these new data was an increase in coverage for children," Davis said.
However, reform is still needed and universal coverage is a first step, she added.
Are you encouraged by the new data on the uninsured? Send your thoughts to Senior Editor Diana Manos at diana.manos@medtechpublishing.com.