Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that 45.7 million Americans did not have health insurance in 2007 [http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/hlthin07.html]. Although this seems like a big number, it is 1.3 million lower than it was in 2006.

Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that 45.7 million Americans did not have health insurance in 2007 . Although this seems like a big number, it is 1.3 million lower than it was in 2006.

In their report, 'Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007,' the U.S. Census Bureau also indicated that, in 2007, 8.1 million U.S. children were not covered by health insurance - down from 8.7 million uninsured children in 2006. The improvement in health insurance coverage is attributed mostly to government-funded insurance programs such as Medicare and the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Unfortunately, having health insurance doesn't necessarily protect against high medical bills - it still depends on what type of insurance plan you have. Experts estimate that 25 million U.S. adults are currently underinsured, compared to 16 million two years ago. What this means is that, even though uninsured rates are down, we still need to find better health insurance solutions.

Source

U.S. Census Bureau, August 26, 2008.