Who are the uninsured and where do they live?

Sep 24 2009

"The nation's uninsured — a growing class of people whose recession-fed ranks have swelled to 46.3 million — are central to the health care debate in Washington and the questions about how and whether to get them covered are as vexing and emotional as they come," USA Today reports. "While the nation waits for Congress and the White House to come up with answers, those who live without insurance say they are waiting scared." Some try to stay healthy, while "others worry about missing cancer screenings that could save their lives or fear that one accident or serious illness will leave them with a lifetime of debt. Some wrestle with whether it makes more sense to save for retirement or pay for health insurance." The paper profiles "five faces of the uninsured" and also features an interactive map with state-by-state statistics (Hall and Fritze, 9/23).

Related KHN content: How Health Overhaul Would Affect The Uninsured (part of Are You Covered? series with NPR)

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