Washington, D.C., August 29, 2006
– "New data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau show that 46.6 million people live with no health insurance in the United States. That's an increase from 15.6 percent to 15.9 percent of our population since last year. The number of uninsured children also rose from 7.9 million to 8.3 million, and the Census Bureau reported that children in poverty were the most likely to be uninsured last year among all subsets of children.
"Report releases, national campaigns and research have all documented this growing crisis for years. Action on behalf of our nation's most vulnerable—especially children in poverty—is long overdue. Given the fact that children in poverty are more likely to be uninsured, we should be strengthening, not cutting funding for, the Medicaid program. Congress also needs to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) with the funding necessary to insure all eligible children and keep up with the rising cost of health care.
"A recent study reported that premiums for company-provided family health insurance cost, on average, approximately $1,000 more to cover unpaid health care expenses for uninsured people in the United States. People who lack health insurance are less likely to seek vital preventive care services, are sicker and die earlier compared to insured individuals.
"We are well aware of the tragic plight of the uninsured. Once and for all, let's fix it."