Older and Insured: Older individuals, considered those ages 55-64, are more
likely to have health insurance coverage than their younger counterparts,
according to recent findings by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
In 2006, just 12.7 percent of all individuals ages 55-64 were uninsured,
compared with 17.9 percent across all ages, according to EBRI.
However, in the past few years individuals in this age group who are still
working have experienced a slight erosion in health care coverage and an
increase in the likelihood of being uninsured.
In 2006, 78 percent of workers ages 55 to 64 were covered by
employer-sponsored health plans, down slightly from 80 percent in 2000. The
percentage of uninsured among this age group rose from 10 percent in 2000 to 11
percent in 2006.
Retirees in this same age group are more likely to get employment-based
health care coverage through a family member, rather than through a former job,
according to EBRI. In 2006, 35 percent of retirees received coverage through a
former employer. With the exception of 2000, that’s the lowest percent since
1994.
Similarly, the percentage of retirees with coverage through a family member
was 22.6 percent in 2006, essentially the highest percentage since 1994.
= Member Only
