The reports are in regarding the number of uninsured residents in Illinois and in the US. In 2007, the year of the latest statistics, the number actually went down!
Yes, down.
In Illinois, 13.4% of our fellow friends and neighbors (1.7 million) were uninsured in 2007, down from 14% in 2006. Nationwide, 15.3% were uninsured in 2007 (45.7 million), down from 15.8% in 2006.
Does this mean things are getting better? Maybe. Maybe not. A look at US Census data by Physicians for a National Health Program analysts shows that most of the improvement in health insurance coverage is due to expansions of Medicaid (government coverage for those living in poverty or near poverty) and Medicare (government coverage for senior citizens). Employer provided coverage actually declined another half a percent.
This is mixed news for health centers such as ours. On the one hand, more of the low-income community residents we serve can qualify for Medicaid, especially women and children. On the other hand, working adults are less likely to receive insurance from their employers and are caught in limbo, with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid.
We have made great strides in bringing health care coverage to almost all children in Illinois. The biggest challenge is covering grown-ups. I certainly have my eyes on the successes the Massachusetts system is experiencing (see the New York Times editorial on this).
