Health Insurance Coverage in New York, 2008: Amid Recession, Employer-Sponsored Coverage Declines and Public Coverage Rises

This United Hospital Fund annual chartbook provides an overview of the uninsured in New York and the nation, detailing demographic information, such as income, employment status, and age.

It also reports on coverage distribution among workers and low-income New Yorkers, describes trends in coverage, and provides estimates of the number of uninsured New Yorkers who are eligible for public health insurance.

Data presented in the chartbook are from the Current Population Survey.  Findings include the following:

• 1.4 million non-elderly uninsured reside in New York City and 2.5 million non-elderly uninsured reside in New York State.
• Of New York State’s uninsured, eight in 10 are workers or workers’ dependents; more than 60% are low-income; and low-income workers represent more than half of all uninsured workers.
• An estimated 1.1 million of uninsured New Yorkers are eligible for public coverage, but are not enrolled. Another 1.2 million of uninsured New Yorkers have low-to-moderate income that would meet the income standards for subsidized coverage under health reform.
• Between 2006 and 2008, before the full impact of the recession, New York was experiencing a decline in the rate of employer-sponsored insurance and an increase in the rate of public coverage. Because these trends largely offset each other, the share of the population without coverage remained stable.

View the chartbook.