New estimates from the Current Population Survey show that 49.9 million people (16.3%) were uninsured in the United States in 2010, compared to 49.0 in 2009. This is not a significant change for the population overall.
These estimates show a significant increase in health insurance coverage for young adults (18-25 years), from 70.7% in 2009 to 72.8% in 2010. there is also a significant decline in coverage among the elderly, from 98.3% to 98.0%.
These estimates are available in the Census Bureau's report, '"Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010." The Census Bureau's health insurance page also has updated tables and figures with the new estimates.
One change of note for these estimates is that the Census Bureau has implemented a revised data processing technique, described in the working paper authored by SHADAC, "Modifications to the Imputation Routine for Health Insurance in the CPS ASEC: Description and Evaluation." These edits were applied to the 2010 estimates and historical estimates dating back to 1999, and generally results in slight decrease in uninsurance. Information on these revisions is available at this link.
Estimates from the American Community Survey will be released on September 22. Please join SHADAC for a webinar on September 23 to discuss state health insurance coverage estimates from both of these surveys.