The number of Californians without health insurance jumped to 8.2 million in 2009, up from
6.4 million in 2007, according to UCLA’s Center for Health Policy Research.
Nearly 1 in 4 Californians under age 65 had no health insurance last
year, the report found, as soaring unemployment propelled vast
numbers of once-covered workers into the ranks of the uninsured.
People who were uninsured for part or all of 2009 accounted for 24.3%
of California’s population under age 65 — a dramatic increase from
2007 driven largely by Californians who lost employer-sponsored health
insurance, particularly over the last year.
Among those over age 18, nearly 1 in 3 had no insurance for all or
part of 2009, the UCLA researchers found. The ranks of uninsured
children also grew. The study was based on phone interviews from 2007,
updated with current insurance enrollment data.
Adults over age 65, who are covered by the federal Medicare insurance program, were not included.
–Duke Helfand