WASHINGTON -- Sixty percent of Hispanics under age 65 have been without health insurance at some point during the past two years, according to a report published Thursday by the organization Families USA.
The figure implies a significant increase from 2000, when the number was 51.5 percent.
The total number of U.S. citizens under 65 who lacked health insurance at some point during the past two years is 89.6 million, or 34.7 percent, according to Families USA, which based its figures on U.S. Census data.
Researchers found that the periods of time in which people went without health coverage were long, as nearly two-thirds of those people experienced that situation for six months or more.
The number of states in which the number of residents under 65 without health insurance at some time increased has more than doubled since the 1999-2000 period, from eight to 20.
Texas leads the list with 45.7 percent of that sector of the population without coverage, followed closely by New Mexico, with 44.3 percent, and Arizona with 41.8 percent.
In addition, the report revealed that 80 percent of the uninsured live in households where at least one person is employed.
Families USA is an independent, non-profit organization that advocates for universal access of all U.S. citizens to high-quality medical care at reasonable cost. EFE
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