Numbere of uninsured Americans hits high...47 Mill

[surfermaw]

WWW.Charlotte.com page 3 A

47 million not covered last year, census shows; 8,7 million kids left out
By Tony Pugh...McClatchy Newspaper

WASHINGTON...The continued loss of job-based coverage helped push the number of Americans without health insurance for 47 million last year, the highest total on record and the sixth straight year that the ranks of uninsured have grown.

New annual Census Bureau survey that the number of uninsured americans jumped by 2.2 million in 2006,from 15.3 percent of Americans in 2005 to a record tying 15.8 percent last year.The number of uninsured children increased for the second straight yearas well, spiking by more than 611,000 last year to n early 8.7 million.


Tuesday's annual census report also hd some upbeat news. The nation's median household income-half of households earn more than the median household income--half of households earm nore than the median and half earn less-increased by $356 to 448,200 last year. The amount increased more than inflation for the second straight year.

[Arkansas Granny]

1. The NewsHour on PBS had a good interview on this last night.

Transcript here:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec07/uninsured_08-28.html


GWEN IFILL: But the same time, in the same report we hear that household income has gone up. So doesn't that make it more affordable?

SUSAN DENTZER: Well, it's gone up modestly. The real median income rose in the most recent period measured -- again, this was from 2005 to 2006 -- by 1.1 percent to $48,500. But again, a 1 percentage point real increase in incomes doesn't come anywhere near making a 7 percent compounded rate of growth of health insurance more affordable for families.

[whistle]

2. I am still amazed that the U.S. considers poverty as any individual

...who earns $10,294 or less as being poor and thus by inference those making $10,285 or more as NOT poor. It is also interesting that this level works out to be what a person makes at $5.15 per hour working 40 hours per week without any paid vacation time.

<snip>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, AUG. 28, 2007, 10:10 A.M. EDT
Public Information Office

Household Income Rises, Poverty Rate Declines,
Number of Uninsured Up

Poverty Overview

About 9.8 percent (7.7 million) of the nation’s families were in poverty in 2006. Married-couple families had a poverty rate of 4.9 percent (2.9 million), compared with 28.3 percent (4.1 million) for female-householder, no-husband-present families and 13.2 percent (671,000) for those with a male householder and no wife present. The poverty rate for these types of families in poverty showed no statistically significant change between 2005 and 2006.


As defined by the Office of Management and Budget and updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index, the weighted average poverty threshold for a family of four in 2006 was $20,614; for a family of three, $16,079; for a family of two, $13,167; and for unrelated individuals, $10,294.

<MORE>

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/010583.html