A report from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) Center for Health Policy Research found that nearly 2 million Californians lost heath insurance during 2008 and 2009, bringing the total number of uninsured to 8 million.  In addition, the study found that nearly 25 percent of non-elderly Californians currently lack health insurance.  Data showed that uninsurance increased among all age groups; however, working adults were the most affected, largely because of rising unemployment.

From the report: Nearly two million Californians lost their health insurance in 2008 and 2009 during the Great Recession that swept the state and the nation. This figure is based on new estimates adjusted for 2009 population growth and changes in insurance status, updating the 2007 California Health Interview Survey data (CHIS 2007). According to the adjusted estimates, 8.2 million Californians (nearly one quarter of the nonelderly population) lacked health insurance for all or part of the year in 2009 (Exhibit 1). This sharp increase from the 6.4 million (or 19.5% of Californians) who were uninsured for all or part of 2007 was a result of large drops in private coverage, which were not fully offset by increases in public programs.

Full report:  Number of Uninsured Jumped to More Than Eight Million from 2007 to 2009 (PDF | 287.6 KB)

University of California- Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research.  (2010).  Number of uninsured jumped to more than eight million from 2007 to 2009.  Lavarreda, S., Brown, R. and Roby, D.