National Women's Law Center

For Immediate Release: August 27, 2004

Contact: Yolanda Norton at 202/588-5180

NWLC Analysis of New Census Data Finds that Two-Thirds of Newly Uninsured Americans Are Women

(Washington, DC) – An analysis by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) of new Census numbers released today shows that women were hit especially hard by the cutbacks in health insurance coverage last year.

NWLC analysis of the data shows that health insurance coverage declined even more sharply among women than men. The numbers show that:

There were 1.4 million more people uninsured in 2003 that in 2002
Of those newly uninsured 927,000 were women and girls
The uninsured rate increased much more sharply for women than for men between 2002 and 2003 (4% for women, 1% for men)
The number of women and girls covered by employer-sponsored health insurance fell by 719,000 – 78% of the total decline

“The United States was already doing poorly in terms providing health insurace for women, and these numbers show that we are moving farther in the wrong direction,” said Judy Waxman, NWLC Vice President and Director of Health and Reproductive Rights.

This data further emphasizes the problems that women across the country are facing in having their basic health needs met. As laid out in the 2004 edition of Making the Grade on Women’s Health: a National and State-by-State Report Card, a comprehensive study on the status of women’s health and health policies released by the NWLC and Oregon Health and Science University, shows that the nation rates “unsatisfactory” on the number of women who are receiving certain benchmark services.

For more information about the issues facing uninsured women, visit www.nwlc.org.

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