Health Insurance Rates Rise

Finally, some good news about health insurance: the number of people without health insurance dropped last year to 45.7 million people from 47 million in 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau -- the first time since President Bush took office.

The decrease is thanks in part to expansion of government coverage of children. Granted, a 1.3 million person -- that's equal to a 0.5 percent difference -- drop isn't that much improvement, but it's a better than nothing.

Unfortunately, there's a downside to this story (as you probably figured). The number of people who have health insurance through their employers fell to 59.3 percent. The peak was 64.2 percent back in 2000. That means that if it weren't for broader governmental coverage, more people would likely be uninsured than ever.

Texas is the state with the greatest number of uninsured residents, while Massachusetts has improved the past two years. Its healthcare reforms were authored by Senator Ted Kennedy, and could be a model for reform at the federal level as well.

[2004 Health Insurance Coverage Status map courtesy of the Rural Assistance Center]

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