Working But Not Insured:
A New Opportunity to Provide Health Insurance to Working Parents

Summary | Full Text

• In 1998, more than 800,000 Marylanders-one out of every six residents--did not have health insurance. Twice as many Marylanders lacked health insurance in 1998 than did just a decade earlier.

• The reasons for the large number people without health insurance are complex. Factors include the increase in low-wage jobs that do not provide affordable, employer-sponsored insurance, and the stringent eligibility requirement for public health insurance.

• Maryland offers health insurance for children until family income reaches 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, or $27,760 in 1999. However, parents are offered health coverage at less than 25 percent of the eligibility level for children.

• Only 14 states have lower income eligibility cutoffs than Maryland for parent Medicaid coverage. A parent who earns a little more than $500 per month and who has two children makes too much money to qualify for Medicaid.

• Because of the low Medicaid eligibility levels, low income working parents are twice as likely to be uninsured as their non-working counterparts.

• *Recent federal rule changes lessen the cost of providing health insurance to low-income parents. Several states have taken advantage of this offer from the federal government: extend Medicaid eligibility limits for states, and it will pay half or more of the cost.

Full text of Working but Not Insured.