- More than eight in ten of the uninsured are in working families—about 70% are from families with one or more full-time workers and 12% are from families with part-time workers.
- About two-thirds of the uninsured are poor or near poor
- Adults are more likely to be uninsured than children.
- Young adults, ages 19 to 29, comprise a disproportionately large share of the uninsured, mostly because of their low incomes.
- More than half (63%) of nonelderly uninsured adults have no education beyond high school, making them less able to get higher-skilled jobs that are more likely to provide health coverage.
- Minorities are much more likely to be uninsured than whites with 34% of Hispanics and 21% of African-Americans numbered among the uninsured compared with 12% of whites.
- About three-quarters of the uninsured (73%) have gone without coverage for more than one year.
- The uninsured are less likely to receive timely preventive care.
- Having insurance improves health overall and could reduce mortality rates for the uninsured by at least 25%.
- Anticipating high medical bills, many of the uninsured are not able to follow recommended treatments.
(Source: The Uninsured: A Primer)
