55- to 64-year-olds most likely to have health insurance in '07, EBRI study says

Adults 55 to 64 were most likely to have health care coverage in 2007, according to a study from the Employee Benefits Research Institute. According to the study, which was published today in the August issue of EBRI Notes, 2% of adults between 55 and 64 were uninsured, a total of 33.3 million individuals. The remaining 88% had some form of health insurance. Those results were comparable to data for children under 8: In 2007, 11% of those in that demographic were uninsured, while 89% had coverage, according to EBRI of Washington. Among the individuals 55 to 64, 67% had employment-based health benefits, while 19.9% were covered under a public program. Another 9.7% purchased coverage directly from an insurer. EBRI noted that fewer people 55 to 64 were purchasing health insurance from a carrier. For example, in 1994, 11.4% of those individuals bought coverage directly from a carrier, but in 2007, that fell to 9.7%. A possible reason for that could be that there were more people in that age group who were working and thus getting coverage through an employer rather than buying insurance, noted Paul Fronstin, author of the study and director of the EBRI health research and education program. “What it comes down to is that if more people are working to get coverage through a job, then fewer people will get coverage elsewhere,” he said.