Health insurance coverage - United States, 2008 and 2010

One out of four adults aged 19-64 years reported not having health insurance at some time during 2011, with a majority remaining uninsured for ≥1 year. In the first quarter of 2010, an estimated 59.1 million persons had no health insurance for at least part of the year, an increase from 58.7 million in 2009 and 56.4 million in 2008. The unemployment rate increased from 5.8% to 9.3% from 2008 to 2009, the largest 1-year increase on record. Losing or changing jobs was the primary reason persons experienced a gap in health insurance. Employment-based coverage for persons aged <65 years continued to erode for the ninth year in a row, falling 3.0 percentage points from 61.9% in 2008 to 58.9% in 2009. Persons aged 18-64 years with no health insurance during the preceding year were seven times as likely as those continuously insured to forgo needed health care because of cost.