Kaiser Health News
September 10, 2009
More children had health insurance last year, partially offsetting a growing number of adults who lacked coverage as the troubled economy helped push insurance out of reach for many workers.
Different Counts
The Census Bureau, to determine the uninsured rate, asks people to recall their insurance
status for the previous year, and specifically whether they lacked coverage for the entire
calendar year. Other government surveys come to different conclusions on the number of
uninsured because of the way they ask questions.
For example, some other surveys ask respondents if they are uninsured in the month they are
being interviewed, while others try to find out if people have been without coverage anytime in the past two years.