Statistics on Uninsured From 1999 MEPS Are Now Available

New Information from AHRQ: March 21, 2001

In the first half of 1999, 15.8 percent of people in the U.S., or 42.8 million people, were without health insurance coverage. Among people under 65, 17.9 percent, or 42.6 million people, were uninsured. This is according to the latest statistics from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Other data show the following:

• Young adults 19-24 years of age are more likely than other age groups to be uninsured. Almost a third (32 percent) were uninsured in the first half of 1999.
• Among people under 65, Hispanics (36 percent) and blacks (21 percent) are much more likely than whites (14 percent) to be without health insurance.
• Among children under 18, 13.6 percent, or 9.8 million, were uninsured in the first half of 1999.

Research Findings #14: Health Insurance Status of the Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population: 1999, is available by calling the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse, (800) 358-9295. It also is available online at http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/rf14/rf14.shtml. Highlights of the uninsured data can be found in The Uninsured in America—1999, available through the Clearinghouse. Full-year data from 1999 will be available in 2002.

Editor's Note: Three publications based on AHRQ's 1996 MEPS now are available from the AHRQ Clearinghouse and Web site:

• Health Care Expenses in the United States, 1996.
• Expenses and Sources of Payment for Nursing Homes Residents, 1996.
• HMO Enrollment in the United States: Estimates Based on Household Reports, 1996.

For additional information, please contact AHRQ Public Affairs, (301) 427-1364: Karen Carp, (301) 427-1858 (KCarp@ahrq.gov).

Internet Citation:

Statistics on Uninsured From 1999 MEPS Are Now Available. Press Release, March 21, 2001. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2001/mepsuninpr.htm

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