New Census report: Almost 1.2 million uninsured Ohioans

According to the the U.S. Census Bureau's new Current Population Survey, Ohio's 3-year average uninsured rate from 2004 to 2006 was 10.7%, or 1,206,000 Ohioans. This puts Ohio's uninsured rate well below the 3-year national average of 15.3%. The survey also showed an increase in the number of uninsured children in the United States, going from 8 million (10.9%) of children without health insurance in 2005 to 8.7 million (11.7%) in 2006.

These findings are contained in Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006 report (PDF). The data were compiled from information collected in the 2007 Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC).

In Ohio-specific data, the CPS showed that the state had an overall uninsured rate of 10.1%, or 1,138,000 Ohioans in 2006. 11.5% of Ohioans under 65 were uninsured in 2006, while 5.7% of kids under 18 lacked insurance (source: CPS Annual Social and Economic (ASEC) Supplement).

Overall, the report finds that real median household income in the United States climbed between 2005 and 2006, reaching $48,200. The nation’s official poverty rate also declined for the first time this decade, from 12.6% in 2005 to 12.3% in 2006. The number of people without health insurance coverage in the U.S. rose from 44.8 million (15.3%) in 2005 to 47 million (15.8%) in 2006 (Source: Census press release on report, Aug. 28, 2007).