And the vast majority of those people, nearly 70 percent, had been without coverage for more than a year, according to the study by the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund, a leading authority on health policy.
The holes in health insurance were a driving force in President Barack Obama's push for the controversial health care overhaul he signed in 2010. Close to 50 million people in the country now lack coverage, a number that has been rising as employers eliminate jobs or cut back health benefits.
Research, including the Commonwealth Fund survey, indicates that people without health insurance often skip needed medical care and do not get vital preventive services such as cancer screenings.
TVNL Comment: What a disgrace this is. Every single nation in the industrialized world, other than the US, provides nationalized health care for its people. Yet, people rise up in opposition to any reform of our antiquated, corporate dominated system. Makes no sense, whatsoever.