Most Americans had health insurance for some
or all of 1993.
According to the March 1994 Supplement to the Current Population
Survey (CPS), an estimated 84.7 percent of Americans (220
million) had health care coverage for some or all of 1993. There
were, however, 39.7 million persons, or 15.3 percent of the
population, who were without health insurance coverage during the
entire 1993 calendar year.
Most Americans were covered by private health care
providers.
Among all Americans, 70.2 percent were covered by a private
health plan for some or all of 1993. A private plan is one that
was offered through an employer or was privately purchased.
Employer-provided group health plans covered 57.1 percent of
persons in 1993. The remaining insured persons had Government
coverage, such as Medicare (12.7 percent), Medicaid (12.2
percent), or military health care (3.7 percent).1 Many persons
carry coverage from more than one type of health insurance plan.
Younger persons made up a disproportionate share of the
uninsured in 1993.
Persons 18 to 29 years old made up only 17.4 percent of the total
U.S. population, but accounted for 29.2 percent of all uninsured
persons. About one-fourth (26.8 percent) of persons in this age
group were without health insurance. Furthermore, 30.2 percent of
all persons 22 to 24 years old were without coverage. In
comparison, only 1.2 percent of persons 65 years old and over
were without coverage.
The higher the educational level, the greater were the
chances of having health insurance coverage.
Among persons 25 years old and over, those with a bachelor's
degree or higher were more likely to have had health insurance
coverage than those with less education. For example, 92.7
percent of persons 25 years old and over with at least a
bachelor's degree had coverage. In comparison, 84.7 percent of
persons 25 years old and over who were high school graduates
only, and 78.3 percent of persons 25 years old and over with an
11th grade education or less had health insurance coverage.
Income and firm size affected health insurance
coverage.
In general, as household income rose, noncoverage fell. For
example, 23.6 percent of persons with a household income of less
than $25,000 were without health insurance in 1993, compared with
7.1 percent of persons with a household income of $75,000 or
more. Also, of the 137.1 million workers, 51.9 percent had
employer-provided health insurance policies in their own name.
This proportion, however, varied by the size of employer. For
example, 29.3 percent of workers employed by firms with less than
25 persons had policies in their own name, compared with 66.9
percent of workers employed by firms with 1,000 or more workers.
The poor were more likely not to have coverage.
Among persons living below the poverty level, 70.7 percent had
health insurance coverage at some point in 1993. Medicaid was the
most widespread type of coverage among the poor, covering 47.9
percent, compared with 12.2 percent of the total population. Of
all poor persons, only about 1 in 5 had private health care
coverage. Medicare was the primary source of coverage for poor
persons 65 years old and over (96.4 percent), as well as for all
persons 65 years old and over (98.8 percent).
Health insurance coverage varied across race and ethnic
groups.
Among race and ethnic groups, persons of Hispanic origin had the
highest proportion of noncoverage in 1993 (31.6 percent).2 In
comparison, 20.5 percent of Blacks and 14.2 percent of Whites
were without health insurance coverage.
Since 1991, health insurance coverage rates have changed
for 16 States and the District of Columbia.
The District of Columbia and three States - Idaho, Utah, and
Virginia - recorded increases in the percentages of residents
with health insurance coverage. Meanwhile, coverage rates fell in
the following 13 States: Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Michigan,
Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
---------------
1 Military health care includes CHAMPUS, (Comprehensive Health
and Medical Plan for Uniformed Services), CHAMPVA (Civilian
Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veteran's
Affairs), Veteran's, and military health care.
2 Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. These data do
not include the population of Puerto Rico.
For Further Information
See: Health Insurance Coverage - 1993 Statistical Brief
(SB/94-28).
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