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Who are the Uninsured?
The uninsured are predominantly workers and their
families, many of whom have low incomes. Low-income Americans (those who earn less than 200% of the federal poverty level, or $27,300 for a family of three in 1998) run the highest risk of being uninsured. Over half of
the uninsured population is low-income, and nearly one in five of the uninsured are low-income children. Almost all of these children are eligible for coverage through either Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) but are not enrolled. Their parents make up another 19% of the uninsured population. Almost three-quarters of the uninsured are in families where at least one person is working full time, and 10%
are in families with at least one part-time worker. Only 16% of the uninsured are in families with no workforce attachment. Workers in small firms are more likely to be uninsured than those in larger firms.
