How many Americans have private health insurance? How many are
covered by Medicare or Medicaid? And, how many have no coverage at
all?
Each year, Gallup asks the public several different questions
designed to measure the type of personal health insurance coverage
Americans have. The overall results, compiled from an aggregate of
Gallup's November 2003 and November 2004 health and healthcare
surveys*, show that roughly 6 in 10 Americans (61%) have private
health insurance coverage. Twenty-eight percent of adults
nationwide are covered by Medicare or Medicaid, and 11% do not have
any health insurance at all.
The data show interesting differences in coverage among
different demographic subgroups.
Age
- Younger Americans are slightly more likely than those in other
age groups to have no health insurance coverage at all (17% of
those aged 18 to 29 vs. 12% of those aged 30 to 64 and less than 1%
of those aged 65 and older). Sixty-two percent of 18- to
29-year-olds say they have private health insurance, and 21% are
covered by Medicare or Medicaid.
- Nearly 8 in 10 adults aged 30 to 64 are covered by private
health insurance. Roughly 1 in 10 adults in this age group are
covered by Medicare or Medicaid.
- Almost all adults aged 65 and older -- 98% -- are covered by
Medicare or Medicaid.
Income
Lower-income households are considerably more likely to be
covered by Medicaid or Medicare, while higher-income households are
more likely to have private health insurance.
- Half of adults living in households with an annual income of
less than $30,000 say they are covered by Medicaid or Medicare. One
in three adults (33%) in this income group have private insurance,
and 17% have no insurance at all.
- Two in three adults earning between $30,000 and $75,000 per
year are covered by private health insurance, while 24% are covered
by Medicaid or Medicare and 10% have no coverage.
- Among those living in households earning $75,000 per year or
more, 87% have private health insurance. Nine percent are covered
by Medicaid or Medicare, and 4% have no insurance coverage.
Race
More than 6 in 10 non-Hispanic whites (64%) are covered by
private health insurance, while 26% are covered by Medicaid or
Medicare and 10% have no insurance at all. Blacks, meanwhile, are
just as likely to be covered by Medicaid or Medicare (44%) as they
are to have private health insurance coverage (45%). Eleven percent
of blacks have no healthcare coverage.
Gender
Men are somewhat more likely than women to have private
healthcare coverage (64% vs. 59%), while women are slightly
more likely to be covered by Medicaid or Medicare (32% to 24%).
Women are more represented in the 65 and older population, which
may partly explain this difference. Roughly the same proportions of
men and women say they have no health insurance, but men are
slightly more likely than women to say they have no health
insurance.
Physical Disabilities and Long-Term Medical
Conditions
Gallup's 2004 health and healthcare survey** asked Americans if
they have a "physical disability that limits their activity" or if
they have "a long-term medical condition, illness or disease."
Overall, the current data show that 21% of Americans have a
physical disability, while 79% do not. Women are slightly more
likely than men to say they have a physical disability, by a margin
of 25% to 18%. Older Americans also are more likely to report
physical disabilities than are younger Americans. Thirty percent of
those aged 50 and older have a physical disability, compared with
16% of those aged 30 to 49 and 13% of those aged 18 to 29.
Roughly 3 in 10 Americans (31%) report having a long-term
medical condition, while 69% do not. Roughly the same proportion of
men and women report having a long-term medical condition.
Older Americans are considerably more likely to report having a
long-term medical illness than younger people (43% of those aged 50
and older have a long-term condition vs. 24% of those aged 30 to 49
vs. 17% of those aged 18 to 29).
Americans with physical disabilities and long-term medical
conditions are more likely than those who do not have these
conditions to be covered by Medicaid or Medicare. The data show
that 57% of Americans with a physical disability have Medicaid or
Medicare coverage, while 33% have private insurance, and 10% have
no insurance. It is important to note that those under age 65 with
a physical disability may qualify for Medicare and Medicaid. Among
those without a physical disability, two in three are covered by
private health insurance.
Americans with long-term medical conditions are almost equally
likely to be covered by Medicaid or Medicare (46%) as they are to
be covered by private insurance (43%). Eleven percent of Americans
with a long-term medical condition have no insurance. Two in three
Americans who do not suffer from a long-term illness or disease are
covered by private health insurance.
*Results are based on telephone interviews with 2,025
national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Nov. 3-5, 2003, and
Nov. 7-10, 2004. For results based on the total sample of national
adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of
sampling error is ±2 percentage points.
**Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,016
national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Nov. 7-10, 2004. For
results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say
with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±3
percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording
and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce
error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
