Facts

• There are over 1 million uninsured Michigan residents.  About 13% or 138,963 are children under the age of 18.¹ Nationally, almost 47 million Americans are uninsured.²
• In 2007 the United States spent 2.3 trillion on health care (17% of GDP).  Although the U.S. spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation, those countries provide health insurance to all their citizens. 
• Being uninsured can happen to anyone.  More than one-third of the uninsured nationwide (17 million Americans) are middle class and have incomes of $40,000 or more.³
• A survey of 13,000 Michigan households found that 80% of uninsured households include at least one adult who is working.⁴
• Ninety-three percent of households in Michigan with an uninsured family member are willing to pay for basic coverage for an employer based plan.  However, two-thirds of uninsured adults report that the main reason they are uninsured is that they cannot afford insurance or they’ve lost their job and subsequently lost their coverage.⁵
• In 2007 the total average annual cost for single coverage was $4,479 and was $12,106 for family coverage.  Workers contributed 15% towards the cost of single coverage and 27% towards the cost of family coverage.⁶
• Families USA estimated that in Michigan, $730 a year was added to the cost of a family policy and $274 a year to an individual policy to cover health care costs of the uninsured.⁷
• Twenty-six percent of relatively high-income uninsured workers (earning $75,000 or more annually) are eligible for employer coverage but decline to purchase it⁸.
• Currently, only the self-employed and individuals whose medical costs exceed 7.5 percent of their income may deduct the cost of health insurance premiums for federal income tax purposes. As a result, the vast majority of purchasers in the individual market must pay for coverage with no income tax advantage or deduction.
• Six out of ten uninsured working-age adults report problems paying for medical bills, compared with 35 percent of insured adults.⁹
• Children without health insurance are ten times more likely to miss out on at least some needed medical care.¹⁰