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OCTOBER 2, 2000

More than a quarter of American Indians and Alaska Natives are without health insurance, according to the US Census Bureau.

For the years 1997 to 1999, Native Americans were less likely to have health insurance than other racial groups, reported the Census Bureau. Some 27.1 percent of Native Americans were without health insurance during this time period.

Only Hispanics had a higher rate, with some 34.3 lacking insurance coverage, according to the Census. Hispanics can be of any race.

This year marks the first time the Census has reported health insurance statistics on Native American populations. The Census also reported for the first time poverty rates and median income level for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

For this reason, three-year averages were used to report and compare statistics on the Native population. The Census samples 50,000 households nationwide, which the Bureau says is not a large enough number to produce reliable annual estimates for the entire Native population.

Additionally, as with the economic data, insurance rates can vary widely among Native populations. Those who live on reservations tend to have different rates of poverty, income, and insurance than those who live off reservation.

Since 1997, the Bureau has been counting Native Americans who have Indian Health Service (IHS) coverage as uninsured. However, this counting method had no significant effect on the overall estimates, said the Census Bureau.

Nationally, the number of Americans without insurance is down. From 1998 to 1999, the number dropped from 44.3 million to 42.6 million, representing a change in 16.3 percent to 15.5 percent of the total population.

The change marks the first drop in rates ever since the Census Bureau began collecting health insurance data in 1987. The drop is attributed to an increase in employment-based insurance.

The percentage of Americans with insurance provided by the government did not change from 1998 to 1999.

Poor and near-poor Americans are less likely to have insurance, reported the Bureau. Some 25.9 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives lived in poverty from 1997 to 1999.

To compare health insurance coverage, view the table People Without Health Insurance For the Entire Year by Race and Ethnicity (3-Year average): 1997 to 1999

Get the Report:
Health Insurance Coverage: 1999 (US Census Bureau. September 2000)

Relevant Links:
The US Census - www.census.gov

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