Posted on September 18, 2009 16:16
Categories: Medicare | Legislative and Regulatory Issues | Employer and Individual Insurance
Topics: Employer-Sponsored Coverage | Health Care Reform | Individual Coverage | Medicare | Uninsured
This report outlines insurance coverage for Americans ages 55 to 64. The report found that, along with children, that age group was the most likely to have health insurance in 2007; however, cautions that changes in retiree health care may affect data.
From the report:
Most Likely to Have Coverage: EBRI estimates from the latest Current Population Survey data show adults ages 55−64 were one of two groups—the other was children—most likely to have health insurance coverage in 2007. That year, 12 percent of adults ages 55−64 were uninsured, compared with about 32 percent of adults ages 21−24, 26 percent of those ages 25−34, and 23.5 percent of all younger adults. There were 4 million adults ages 55−64 without health insurance in 2007, accounting for 9 percent of the 45 million individuals under age 65 who were uninsured.
An Overlooked Group: The fact that adults ages 55−64 are the least likely age group of adults to be uninsured is usually overlooked when considering that employers have substantially cut back on employment-based health benefits for early retirees. It is also important to understand the health insurance status of individuals ages 55–64 because of access and affordability issues with the nongroup market.
Impact of Erosion Retiree Health Benefits: The erosion of retiree health insurance may ultimately change retirement patterns as employees nearing retirement age postpone their decision to retire upon learning that, without ajob, they may not be able to obtain health insurance coverage or afford health care services that are not covered by insurance. The health insurance status of the population nearly eligible for Medicare also has implications for the Medicare program, to the degree that any increase in the uninsured population entering Medicare results in higher costs to the program.
Full report: Health Insurance Coverage of Individuals Ages 55-64, 1994-2007 (PDF | 346.76 KB)
Employee Benefit Research Institute. (2009). Health Insurance Coverage of Individuals Ages 55-64, 1994-2007. Fronstin, P.
E-mail to Friend |
Print |
Permalink |
Post RSS
