WASHINGTON — The number of Americans covered by government-sponsored health insurance plans surged to 87.4 million last year — or 29 percent of the U.S. population — amid a fierce, national debate about whether to create a government-run plan that any American could join.
The number of people covered by federal Medicaid, Medicare and military insurance plans increased from 83 million in 2007, according to census figures released Thursday. The growth partially offset the eighth consecutive year of declines in the percentage of people with employer-provided plans and highlighted the growing role of a government-offered insurance safety net.
Overall, the number of Americans without health insurance increased modestly to 46.3 million last year, up from 45.7 million in 2007.
The poverty rate hit 13.2 percent, an 11-year high.
“The last decade has been marked by a steady increase in public insurance programs,” said Mark McClellan, director of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution. “People are certainly having more difficulty affording health insurance.”
A growing role for government health care is already afoot, according to census data. For example:
• The number of people with employment-based health insurance declined from 177.4 million to 176.3 million in 2008.
• The number of uninsured children declined from 8.1 million, or 11.0 percent, in 2007, to 7.3 million, or 9.9 percent, in 2008.
Both the rate and number of uninsured children are the lowest since 1987, the first year that comparable health insurance data were collected. The main reason: recent expansions of government Medicaid and children’s health insurance programs.
• The number of adults under age 65 without health insurance — in other words, those not eligible for Medicare programs — is rising.
About 20.3 percent of adults ages 18 to 64 were uninsured in 2008, up from 19.6 percent in 2007, or an additional 1.5 million adults.
• During the past decade, the number of privately insured Americans increased by 0.1 percent, climbing from 200.7 million to 201 million. Meanwhile, the number of Americans who rely on the government for their health insurance soared 29 percent, from 67.7 million to 87.4 million.
Analysts warned that increases in the overall numbers of the uninsured were likely to be just the beginning. Based on current job losses, some researchers estimate the present-day number of uninsured is closer to 50 million. That’s the number now cited by the Congressional Budget Office, and it could continue to grow without meaningful reform.
Census figures on health insurance, poverty and income for Colorado and its major cities will be released later this month as part of a separate, more detailed survey. The Census Bureau considers that survey more reliable for state and local results.
