An advocacy group is calling for public health efforts to reach the uninsured in Illinois to be overhauled. One in three of the country's newly identified uninsured live in
Illinois, according to a report by Brandeis University in Boston commissioned by the United Power for Action and Justice in Chicago.
United Power is promoting an aggressive comprehensive insurance enrollment campaign, targeting moderate-income citizens and small business employees.
The report found:
- From 1997-1998, the number of uninsured Illinoisans grew from approximately 1.5 million to 1.8 million.
- The working poor and unemployed poor remain the largest group of uninsured residents, but the growing group of uninsured are moderate-income professionals who earn between
$25,000 and $50,000 per year. - Nearly half of the adult uninsured are working full-time and year-round. This group, comprised of 590,000, surged 42% since 1995-96.
The research was based on U.S. Census Bureau statistics released in October.
(United Power for Action, 773/334-7281)