The Relationship between Income and Health Insurance : Rethinking the Use of Family Income in the Current Population Survey

The Census Bureau finds that individuals with family income of $50,000 or more account for 11 million individuals (or 25 percent) of the uninsured and are the fastest-growing segment of the uninsured. This paper examines why this apparently high-income population does not have health insurance coverage. One section examines the relationship between family status and family income and discusses the implications for counting the number of high-income uninsured. Other sections examine the demographics and job characteristics of the uninsured, by family income, family status, and personal earnings. The conclusion includes a recommendation for future research. The PDF for the above title, published in the February 2005 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the full text of another February 2005 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: "Retirement Annuity and Employment-Based Pension Income."