Many workers lack insurance, report shows

Washington -- Working Americans make up nearly half of the uninsured, says a new report issued at the recent launch of Cover the Uninsured Week. The findings sparked calls for government attention to the problem.

Of the 45 million Americans with out health insurance, more than 20 million are working adults, the analysis released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation showed.

That finding "is particularly troubling, as much of the insurance market in this country is employment-based," said John C. Nelson, MD, president of the AMA, a sponsor of the national event. "Tragically, without insurance, many Americans do not seek medical care until their health problem reaches crisis proportions."

The analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 41% of the uninsured don't have access to a physician when they need one. Another RWJ report found that 45% of the uninsured have one or more chronic conditions.

"I'm a physician, not an economist, but I know that rising health care costs are the problem," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, president of the foundation, which is the lead sponsor of Cover the Uninsured Week, which ran May 1-8.

Also speaking at the launch, Sen. Ron Wyden (D, Ore.) called for his colleagues to put aside partisan differences to solve this and other problems with the health care system. "The uninsured serve as the canary in the health care coal mine. They give a real indication of what the challenges are facing the system and what kind of work we need to do," he said.

He and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R, Utah) worked together last year to pass legislation designed to create a public forum for discussing health system reform and to bring ideas produced by that effort before Congress.

RWJ released results from a public poll in which 73% of respondents said that they are concerned about losing their health care coverage and that health care costs rank among voters' top priorities for Congress and the White House to address.

"Poll after poll shows that the American people want our leaders to make affordable and stable health coverage for all Americans a top priority," Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey said.