health, "Health Insurance Coverage Worsening" (6/6/95)

            EMBARGOED UNTIL:  JUNE 6, 1995 (TUESDAY)   

Public Information Office                         CB95-106
301-457-2794
301-457-4067 (TDD)

Robert Bennefield
301-763-8578

          INTERRUPTIONS IN HEALTH INSURANCE WORSENING,
                       CENSUS BUREAU SAYS

     EMBARGOED UNTIL:  JUNE 6, 1995 (TUESDAY) - Interruptions in
Americans' health insurance coverage lasted significantly longer
in 1991-93 than in 1990-92, the Commerce Department's Census
Bureau reported today.

     The report, "The Dynamics of Economic Well-Being:  Health
Insurance, 1991 to 1993" (P70-43), says of persons uninsured at
least for one month during a 32-month period from February 
1991 to September 1993, the median time spent without health
insurance was 7.1 months.  This is significantly longer than the
6-month median duration of non-coverage for the earlier period
from 1990 to 1992.

     Of persons questioned about their health insurance coverage
as part of the Survey of Income and Program Participation, 
27 percent lacked insurance for at least one month during the
period.  That translates into 64 million people.

     An estimated 9 million persons were uninsured during the
entire 32 months of the survey.  Another 18 million were 
uninsured for all 12 months of 1992, and 17 million were
uninsured during the entire year in 1991.

     Young adults between 18 and 24 years of age were the most
likely of any age group--about one in two--to lack insurance for
at least one month from 1991-93.

     Women were more likely than men to have continuous health
insurance coverage for the entire period.  Twenty-eight percent 
of all men surveyed lacked health insurance for one or more
months; the comparable figure for women was 25 percent.

     One of the reasons given for this disparity between men and
women is age--more women than men are 65 years old and over, and
virtually everyone in this age group is covered by Medicare.

     Another reason is that women are more likely than men to
live in families with incomes below the poverty level and,  
therefore, are more likely to participate in means-tested
assistance programs, such as Medicaid.

     Other findings:

     -    Education has a major impact on how long someone goes
          without health insurance.  For example, the median time
          spent without health insurance of 10.0 months for those
          without a high school diploma was much longer than the
          5.1 months for those with at least one year of college.


     -    Of those who were observed over the full 32-month
          period, 87 percent who worked full-time had continuous 
          health insurance coverage; 73 percent of part-time
          workers had continuous coverage; and 60 percent of
          those with one or more job interruptions had continuous
          coverage.

     -    The proportions of persons who spent at least one month
          without health insurance were:  Whites (not of Hispanic 
          origin)--22 percent; African Americans--36 percent; and 
          persons of Hispanic origin--50 percent.

     -    Ninety-two percent of Whites (not of Hispanic origin)
          had at least one month of private insurance coverage,
          while 73 percent of African Americans and 70 percent of
          Hispanic-origin persons had at least one month of such
          coverage (73 percent and 70 percent are not
          statistically different).

     As in all surveys, the data in this report are subject to
sampling variability and other sources of error.

                               -X-

Editor's note:  EMBARGOED UNTIL:  JUNE 6, 1995 (TUESDAY) - media
representatives may obtain copies of the report from the bureau's
Public Information Office by telephone:  301-457-2794; fax:  301-
457-3670; or e-mail:  pio@census.gov.  Non-media orders should be
directed to the bureau's Customer Services Branch on 301-763-INFO(4636)