How Many People Lack Health Insurance and For How Long?

Abstract

It is frequently stated that about 40 million Americans lack health insurance. That estimate overstates the number of people who are uninsured all year. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that between 21 million and 31 million people were uninsured for all of 1998, the most recent year for which reliable comparative data are available. Since then, the number who are uninsured all year probably has not changed substantially, given historical trends. Furthermore, the uninsured population is fluid, with many people gaining and losing coverage. Between half and two-thirds of the people who experienced a period of time without insurance in 1998, for example, had coverage for other portions of the year.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA415073

Entities

Organizations

  • Congressional Budget Office

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Data Analysis
  • Department Of Veterans Affairs
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Families (Human)
  • Governments
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Hispanics
  • Hospitals
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Personnel
  • Taxes
  • United States
  • Universities
  • Websites

Readers

  • Economics
  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting