United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2001-03-13 monographic deposited born digital 21 p. GA 1.13:GAO-01-507T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-507T P0b002ee1803891c7 f:d01507t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-507T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-507T GAO-01-507T Health insurance Employee medical benefits Statistical data Surveys Medicaid Program State Children's Health Insurance Program Testimony More than 1 in 6 nonelderly Americans are today uninsured. The lack of insurance coverage does not affect all Americans equally, varying widely among demographic groups as well as geographically. An estimated 42.1 million Americans were uninsured in 1999, which is down from 43.9 million in 1998. While the decline in the number of uninsured in 1999 following a long-term increase is welcome news, it is too early to know whether this reflects a reversal in the trend. Recent expansions of public programs, such as the implementation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and the tight labor market likely contributed to the improved coverage. Even with these positive factors, the number of uninsured remains high, and any significant downturn in economic conditions could lead to a resumption in the growth of their numbers. The uninsured population is a diverse group, including individuals working in different industries and firms of all sizes as well as of different income levels, ages, races and ethnicities, and geographic locations. This heterogeneous nature of the 42 million uninsured Americans suggests that consideration of a combination of strategies must be appropriate in any efforts to expand health insurance coverage. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-507T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-507T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-507T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-507T.pdf GAO-01-507T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-507T Testimony GAO-01-507T; Health Insurance: Characteristics and Trends in the; Health insurance Employee medical benefits Statistical data Surveys Medicaid Program State Children's Health Insurance Program