First Edition: September 17, 2010

Sep 17 2010

Today's headlines focus on a Census Bureau report that found the ranks of the uninsured have swelled to 50.7 million Americans.

Uninsured Rate Soars, 50+ Million Americans Without Coverage
Kaiser Health News staff writers Phil Galewitz and Andrew Villegas report: "In a reflection of the battered economy, the number of people without health insurance rose sharply last year to 50.7 million — an all time high — according to data released Thursday by the Census Bureau" (Kaiser Health News). KHN also provides related resources, including a Census Bureau summary of key findings, the chapter on health insurance coverage and access the full report, "Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2009."

Recession Swells Number Of Uninsured To 50.7 Million
The number of uninsured Americans rose by 4.4 million to 50.7 million last year, the largest annual jump since the government began collecting comparable data in 1987, according to the Census Bureau (The Wall Street Journal).

Census: Number Of Uninsured Americans Skyrocketed Last Year
Nearly 51 million Americans lacked health insurance last year, a jump of more than 4 million individuals from 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday (The Hill's Healthwatch Blog).

US Adds 4.8 Million More To Ranks Of The Poor As Poverty Rate Jumps
The news from a US Census Bureau report released Thursday underscores how deeply the Great Recession has affected the nation's standard of living. The key findings of report compare income, poverty rate, and health-care insurance coverage in 2009 with 2008 numbers (The Christian Science Monitor).

Number Of Uninsured Americans Rises To 50.7 Million
A record rise in the number of people without health insurance across the nation is fueling renewed debate over a health care law that could to work better at boosting coverage than controlling costs (USA Today).

Census Bureau: Record Number Of Uninsured Americans
Kaiser Health News tracked yesterday' news coverage of the report throughout the day Thursday, with reports from The Associated Press, The New York Times, Reuters, Bloomberg, McClatchy and many other news outlets.

Judge Provides Detailed Healthcare Lawsuit Timeline
The federal district judge overseeing a multi-state challenge to the healthcare reform law has unveiled a detailed schedule for the suit's next steps. The hearing and oral argument on the motion for summary judgment will be held Dec. 16 (The Hill' Healthwatch Blog).

In New Orleans, Clinic Caring For Underinsured Once Again
Today's census numbers show that private health care coverage is disappearing for many Americans. And, in Louisiana, doctors are dealing with the unique challenge of reshaping a health care system that was badly damaged (PBS Newshour).

Carter Says Kennedy Delayed Health Care Years Ago
Former President Jimmy Carter says Americans could have had comprehensive health care coverage decades ago if Sen. Edward M. Kennedy hadn't blocked a plan Carter had proposed (The Associated Press).

Sign up to receive this list of First Edition headlines via e-mail. Check out all of Kaiser Health News' e-mail options including First Edition and Breaking News alerts on our Subscriptions page.