New Census Survey: Nearly 1 in 5 People in 7th District Are Without Insurance
September 22, 2009
September 22, 2009
Washington, D.C. – New data released today by the U.S. Census as part of their American Community Survey show that nearly one in five 7th Congressional District residents had no health coverage in 2008, Congressman André Carson said. In the 18 to 64 age demographic, the uninsured rate jumps to nearly one quarter of the population.
"It's easy to see why my constituents are calling for comprehensive health-care reform," Congressman Carson said. "We can debate how we go about reform, but there should be no debate on the urgency to act.
"With more than 114,000 people in my district unable to access quality, affordable health care—and tens-of-thousands more at risk of losing their health coverage—we've got a health-care crisis that will only get worse if left unchecked."
Of the 636,600 people in the 7th Congressional district, 114,552 had no health coverage in 2008. Carson noted that the survey provides data for last year only, meaning the ranks of the uninsured are likely larger today with many losing their employer-based coverage in 2009 during the tough economy.
A closer breakdown of the statistics for the district reveals:
· Of the total number of uninsured, nearly 17 percent (or 18,996) are children under the age of 18.
· 83 percent of the uninsured (95,000) are between the ages of 18 and 64.
· Nearly 24 percent of residents age 18 to 64 had no health coverage in 2008.
Ensuring every resident has quality health insurance is more than just a policy issue—it's a moral imperative, according to Carson. He pointed to a new Harvard study released last week, which estimated that 45,000 people in the United States die every year – one every 12 minutes – because they lack health insurance coverage. Putting those numbers in perspective, the nation loses more Americans every day due to lack of health insurance than drunken driving and homicide combined.
"There are few policy issues we touch that are truly a matter of life and death. Health reform is one of them. The time for action is now. Failing to do so will cost more American lives," Carson said.
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