Uninsured down 600,000; second consecutive drop

But physician groups fear that the number of uninsured Americans has begun climbing again because of the economic downturn, recent layoffs and rising premiums.

By Amy Snow Landa, AMNews staff. Oct. 15, 2001.

Washington -- The ranks of the uninsured declined last year for the second year in a row, following a decade of steady increases in the number of Americans without health care coverage.

The number of uninsured fell from an estimated 39.3 million in 1999 to 38.7 million in 2000, according to the Census Bureau, which released its annual report on the uninsured Sept. 28.

The percentage of Americans who are uninsured also fell slightly, from 14.3% in 1999 to 14% in 2000.

But the AMA and other physician groups fear the good news won't last. The number of Americans who lack health insurance is almost certainly higher now than it was last year, medical officials said. They worry that the number may climb even higher if the economy continues to worsen.

"I think we were all feeling encouraged about [the trend] because it was going in the right direction," said Yank D. Coble Jr., MD, AMA president-elect. "But we feel very concerned now, with the economy being what it is and the national situation [in light of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks], that this will reverse itself."

The Census Bureau estimate for 2000 is based on the results of a survey in March 2001 of 50,000 households that asked respondents about their health insurance coverage the previous year. The improved numbers in 2000 reflect the fairly robust state of the economy then, the benefits of a tight labor market for workers and several years of relatively moderate increases in health insurance premium costs.

Since last year, the slowing economy and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 have caused massive layoffs in the travel industry, leading to even greater economic uncertainty. [...]