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What do we know about the uninsured? Separating fact from fiction, THOMAS P. MILLER explores what we know and what we don't about Americans without health insurance.

Article Excerpt
Q Just how many Americans lack health insurance?

A The short answer is "too many," but the total numbers depend on whom you ask and how they measure the problem. The most commonly reported figure is from the Current Population Survey (CPS) by the U.S. Census Bureau. It found that 47 million people had no health insurance in 2006. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) reported that 41.9 million persons lacked health insurance when interviewed from January 2007 to March 2007. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) estimated 50.4 million people were uninsured during the first six months of 2006.

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Q How long are they uninsured?

A The widely cited CPS statistic is considered closer to an estimate of those who were uninsured at the point in time surveyed, rather than of the total number of people uninsured for the entire year. The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), also handled by the Census Bureau, suggests that roughly half of those counted as "uninsured" remain without health insurance for the entire year. MEPS figures for 2005 range from 65.8 million individuals uninsured at some point during the entire year, to 35.8 million uninsured all year. NHIS estimates that 30.6 million had been uninsured for more than a year at the time of their interview in early 2007.

Q MV head is spinning, Which sets of numbers are right?

A All of them tell us part, but not all, of a complex story. What we generally know is that the percentage of non-elderly Americans without insurance coverage at any one time has increased slightly in the...

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