tailieunhanh - THE UNINSURED: A PRIMER

If you are getting benefits as a wife or husband based on your spouse’s work, when you report the death to us, we will change your payments to survivors benefits. If we need more information, we will contact you. If you are getting benefits based on your own work, call or visit us, and we will check to see if you can get more money as a widow or widower. If so, you will receive a combination of benefits that equals the higher amount. You will need to complete an application to switch to survivors benefits, and we will need to. | kaiser COMMISSION ON MEDICAID ANDTHE UNINSURED THE HENRY J. KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION 1330 G STREET NW WASHINGTON DC 20005 PHONE 202-347-5270 FAX 202-347-5274 THE UNINSURED a primer KEY FACTS ABOUT AMERICANS WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE January 2006 Over 45 million Americans were without health insurance in 2004. Since 2000 the number of uninsured under the age of 65 has grown by six million. Employer-sponsored health insurance has decreased by five full percentage points covering 66 percent of the nonelderly in 2000 but just 61 percent in 2004. Public insurance both Medicaid and the State Children s Health Insurance Program has filled this gap for children but not for adults - who accounted for all of the growth in the number of uninsured since 2000. Two-thirds of this growth in uninsured adults occurred among the poor or near-poor. It is the Commission s hope that by updating this primer the fundamentals of how health insurance is provided in our country will be understood by more as well as how important insurance is in accessing health services and why the number of uninsured Americans continues to grow. James R. Tallon Chairman Diane Rowland . Executive Director The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured provides information and analysis on health care coverage and access for the low-income population with a special focus on Medicaid s role and coverage of the uninsured. Begun in 1991 and based in the Kaiser Family Foundation s Washington DC office the Commission is the largest operating program of the Foundation. The Commission s work is conducted by Foundation staff under the guidance of a bi-partisan group of national leaders and experts in health care and public policy. The Uninsured A Primer Key Facts About Americans Without Health Insurance How Do Most Americans Obtain Health Insurance .2 Fig. 1 and 2 Who Are the Uninsured .4 Fig. 3 and 4 How Does Lack of Insurance Affect Access to Health Care Services .6 Fig. 5 and 6 How .