Latinos in Michigan lack health insurance

Report: Millions in Michigan lacked health insurance in 2007-08
By PATRICIA ANSTETT • FREE PRESS • April 7, 2009

About 2.5 million Michiganders— almost three of every 10 people under the age of 65 — were uninsured sometime in 2007 or 2008, according to a new report released today.
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The FamiliesUSA report, “The Uninsured: A Closer Look,” shows that far more people go without health coverage than is typically reported.

U.S. Census Bureau figures, which chart anyone uninsured for the entire year, show that nearly 12% of Michiganders had no health insurance throughout 2007.

• FAMILIESUSA REPORT: View the data on the uninsured from the FamiliesUSA report

But the number of Michiganders lacking health insurance soars to 28.8% of the state’s population when people who went without coverage for portions of a year are counted along with those who didn’t have insurance the entire year, the FamiliesUSA report found.

Some 70.4% of Michigan’s uninsured went without coverage for six months or more.

Other findings:

• 76% of Michigan’s uninsured are members of working families.

• Minorities were more likely to not have health insurance. The rates: 50.7% of Hispanics/Latinos; 39.7% of blacks; 32% of other ethnic minorities; and 25.4% of whites.

Nation-wide, one out of every three non-elderly people, or 86.7 million Americans, were uninsured sometime between 2007-08.

The FamiliesUSA report used statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau and the federal Agency for Health Care Research and Quality to compile the uninsured data.

Contact PATRICIA ANSTETT at 313-222-5021 or panstett@freepress.com.