Health Insurance Coverage of the Near Elderly, 1994-2005

Abstract

This paper presents Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's March 2006 Current Population Survey on the health insurance status of the near elderly, adults ages 55-64. The findings reveal that the near elderly were one of two groups (the other was children) most likely to have health insurance coverage in 2005. Older adults are not only the least likely group of nonelderly adults to be uninsured, but they were also no more likely to have been uninsured in 2005 than they were in 2000, and they are only slightly more likely to be uninsured as compared with 1995. However, future retired adults ages 55-64 may experience an increase in the likelihood of being uninsured if employer cutbacks to retiree health benefits affect them and they have no other means of obtaining health insurance. In addition, the size of the uninsured population ages 55-64 may also grow as the baby boom generation ages. Expected trends have implications for policy proposals aimed at increasing health insurance coverage among adults ages 55-64.

The PDF for the above title, published in the January 2007 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the fulltext of another January 2007 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: "IRA Assets, Contributions, and Market Share."

Keywords: Employment-based benefits, Health insurance coverage, Uninsured

JEL Classification: I1, J32