More than 15 percent of people are uninsured in U.S.
According to a new survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 46.3 million people were uninsured in 2009 - up from 43.8 million in 2008. The number includes more than 6 million kids under 18.
(In case you're wondering: We've estimated that 13.5% of people in Washington state are uninsured).
Other key findings include:
•21 million people under 65 had public health plan coverage, translating to 21 percent of that population.
•14.4 million people over 65 and 37.7 million children had private insurance.
•62.9 million people under 65 had private insurance in 2009, down from 65.4 million in 2008.
•65.8 million over-65s had private health insurance, as did 55.7 million children.
•Nearly 30 percent of young adults aged 18 to 24 lacked health insurance.
•Hispanics were the most likely to lack health insurance — 30.7 percent had none.
And here's some state specific information from the survey:
Nationally, 17.5% of persons under age 65 years lacked health insurance coverage at the time of interview in 2009. However, approximately one in four persons under age 65 in Florida and Texas, and one in five persons under age 65 in California and Georgia, lacked coverage at the time of interview. By contrast, rates of noncoverage at the time of interview in Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin were lower than the national average.
Nationally, 8.2% children in 2009 lacked coverage at the time of interview, but rates were higher in Florida (13.1%), Indiana (14.0%), and Texas (16.9%).
Nationally, 37.7% of children had public health care coverage. Among the states examined for this report, public coverage for children ranged from 24.6% in New Jersey to 43.0% in Washington.
Nationally, 62.9% of persons under age 65 had private coverage. Among the states examined, private coverage rates for persons under age 65 ranged from 75.2% in Massachusetts to 52.2% in Texas. Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin had rates above the national average.
