Sources of Health Insurance and Characteristics of the Uninsured: Analysis of the March 2004 Current Population Survey

Abstract

This paper examines the status of health insurance coverage in the United States. The data are based primarily on the March 2004 Current Population Survey (CPS), with some analysis based on other CPS surveys. The report focuses on the nonelderly population (under age 65) because this group can receive health insurance coverage from a number of different sources. By contrast, Medicare covers nearly all of the elderly population. Health insurance coverage generally has not sustained unbroken trends since 1994. There were crosscurrents: Employment-based coverage expanded significantly in the 1994-2000 period to overwhelm growth in public programs. Subsequently, the dynamic reversed, as public programs expanded while employment-based coverage declined.

Keywords: Employment-based benefits, Health insurance coverage, Uninsured

JEL Classification: I1, J3