08/29/2007
Despite a decline in the nation's poverty rate for the first time this decade, the number of people without health-care insurance increased from 45 million to 47 million--15.8 percent of the population--according to a report issued Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
We have been on the front lines of the fight for access to affordable health care for years, and continues to champion for solutions such as market-based pooling and savings accounts for health-care spending. We know that no single solution will resolve the health-care crisis in this country, and are committed to working with Congress to help the millions of small-business owners provide health-care benefits to their employees.
The South had the highest uninsured rate at 19 percent, and along with the Northeast (12.3 percent) saw increases in the number of uninsured—their rates in 2005 were 18 percent and 11.7 percent, respectively. The West had the second highest uninsured rate of 17.9 percent and the Midwest had the lowest at 11.4 percent.
Using a three-year average, Texas had the highest percentage of uninsured residents from 2004-2006 at 24.1 percent, and Minnesota, Hawaii, Iowa, Wisconsin and Maine had lower rates than those of the other 45 states and Washington, D.C.
