Information on Arkansas Residents Lacking Health Insurance

Arkansans without Health Insurance

Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau -- in its Current Population Survey (CPS) -- reports the number of people who are uninsured. This widely quoted number is intended to offer an estimate of how many people did not have any type of health insurance at any point in time during the previous calendar year.

There are many people, however, who are uninsured for a portion of a year but not for the entire year. Though these individuals may suffer severe consequences to their health and their economic well-being as a result of being uninsured, they are not included in the Census Bureau's number.

In March 2009, Families USA released a new report, Americans at Risk: One in Three Uninsured, which was designed to provide a comprehensive picture of how many Americans were directly affected by the lack of health coverage in 2007-2008. That report contains national data, as well as a detailed discussion of the methodology, and it is available online at www.familiesusa.org. This fact sheet presents new state-specific data that mirror the national data in Americans at Risk.