Health Insurance Statistics
The ranks of the uninsured appear to be leveling off, according to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. In 2004, 42 million Americans of all ages were without health insurance, about the same level as in 1997, the first year this survey began tracking these statistics. In addition, one in five working-age adults (those aged 18–64 years) were without health insurance last year, a number that had been steadily rising in recent years but also leveled off in 2004. The survey showed continued improvements in coverage for children: 7 million children under 18 years of age were without health insurance in 2004, compared with 10 million children in 1997.