June, 17 2010, 07:50pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Elisabeth Crum, (202) 785-0185;
Alan Barber, (202) 293-5380 x115
This Father's Day, Dads Need Health Insurance: One in Five Men Ages 18-64 are Uninsured
WASHINGTON
A new study by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) and the Center for Economic and Policy Research
(CEPR) reveals some bad news for men: they are a majority of
non-elderly adults in the United States who lack health insurance,
according to an analysis of the 2009 March Current Population Survey.
One in five men ages 18-64 - about 21.2 million -are uninsured,
compared with 17.2 million women in the same age group. This gap in
coverage is consistent across various demographic groups.
The group most likely to lack health insurance is younger, unmarried
men-but men are less likely to have health insurance than women at
every age range.
Married men lack health insurance in greater numbers than married women
before the age of 65, with 18.4 percent of married men between the ages
of 26 and 34 lacking insurance.
"This disparity in health insurance between men and women is a serious
problem for families," said Dr. Heidi Hartmann, President of IWPR.
"With so many men lacking health insurance, I can think of no greater
gift for fathers this year than the security of knowing that they will
have coverage in case of illness. Men are often bread-winners for their
families, and family members often depend on them for access to health
insurance."
The data show that men stand to gain the most from health-insurance
reform, with 4 million more men than women ages 18 to 64 uninsured in
the United States across age and marital status.
View the Fact Sheet here: https://www.iwpr.org/pdf/A142.pdf
The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) was established in 1999 to promote democratic debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect people's lives. In order for citizens to effectively exercise their voices in a democracy, they should be informed about the problems and choices that they face. CEPR is committed to presenting issues in an accurate and understandable manner, so that the public is better prepared to choose among the various policy options.
(202) 293-5380LATEST NEWS
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