1/3 uninsured in 2007-08

A third of Utahns under age 65 were without medical insurance at some point during the past two years — more than twice the percentage estimated by local health care policy analysts and advocates — a national health care policy reform group reported Tuesday.

Even more disturbing, the figures don't take into account the erosion of coverage in Utah and nationwide due to the recession.

"These numbers were very high even before the economic downturn," Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, said in a Tuesday conference call announcing the results of the health policy and advocacy group's survey showing that one in three Americans were without insurance, at least temporarily, during the time studied. Best estimates by the Utah Department of Health, as well as others working on reform in Utah, have estimates close to one in 10.

There were 784,000 Utahns — 32.2 percent of residents under age 65 — uninsured at some point in the two past calendar years, according to the report, which shows Utah just under the national average of 33.1 percent.

In addition, 557,000 of those uninsured Utahns, or 71 percent, were uninsured for six months or more during that time.

An estimated 86.7 million Americans were uninsured at some point during 2007-08, Pollack said.

"The huge number of people without health coverage in Utah is worse than an epidemic. At this point, almost everyone in the country has had a family member, neighbor or friend who was uninsured, and that's why meaningful health care reform can no longer be kept on the back burner," he said.

"The key motivating factor underlying these numbers is the continuing high cost of medical care," Pollack said. "It has eaten away at the working family's budget through resulting in higher insurance premiums and higher co-pays for procedures while at the same time reducing the number and types of procedures plans will cover."

The report is a reminder that efforts to reform the medical system, such as the one under way in Utah, must address the need for coverage to be affordable, continuous and not disrupted by job changes or other life circumstances, Judi Hilman, executive director of the Utah Health Policy Project research and advocacy group, said in response to the report.

"This is why we are asking for bold, comprehensive reforms that fundamentally change the way we manage risk so people don't fall through the cracks, or gaps, in coverage," she said.