The dynamics of health insurance loss: a tale of two cohorts

Past research has characterized the uninsured population in fairly static terms. Little is known about the transition between insured and uninsured states, the length of time persons remain uninsured, the existence of multiple spells of health insurance loss, and the extent to which uninsured persons subsequently acquire private or public coverage. In this paper we examine these dynamic aspects of health insurance coverage for cohorts of privately insured and uninsured persons over a 32-month period. The uninsured population was found to be quite heterogeneous, consisting of many persons who lost coverage for relatively short periods of time, others who were periodically without insurance, and many who were persistently uninsured. Implications for public policy initiatives for the uninsured population are also discussed.