Middle-class Americans are becoming uninsured at a faster pace than lower- or upper-income earners, according to a report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released during the annual Cover the Uninsured Week.
Three million fewer middle-income earners obtained health insurance through their employers in 2008 than in 2000. Overall, 66% of people in families earning between $45,000 and $85,000 annually were insured through their employer in 2008, down 7 percentage points from 2000.
In total, 13 million middle-class people were uninsured in 2008, an increase of 2 million people since 2000, according to the report.
Costs for family insurance policies rose by 81% between 2000 and 2008, while household income fell 2.5%, and fewer workers were offered or could afford coverage through their job, according to the foundation.
The report, titled “
Barely Hanging On,” was prepared by the University of Minnesota's State Health Access Data Assistance Center and used data from the U.S. Census Bureau and HHS.
“America's uninsured crisis means that hard-working people with average incomes are being squeezed,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “The fallout from rising health insurance costs hits everyone.”
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