Statistics on Americans without health insurance
(Reuters) - Nearly 45 million people in the United States, or about 15 percent of the population, were without health insurance in 2005, a number expected to grow as medical costs explode, employers scale back worker benefits and insurers cut coverage and cherry-pick customers.
Meanwhile, U.S. health care spending hit $2 trillion in 2005, more than any other industrialized nation.
* U.S. population: 300 million
* Number of U.S. residents without insurance:
2005: 44.8 million
2004: 43.5 million
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau)
* U.S. states with highest percentage of uninsured:
1. Texas
2. New Mexico
3. Florida
4. Oklahoma
5. California
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau)
* Per capita health spending, 2004
United States: $6,102
Canada: $3,165
Germany: $3,005
Australia: $2,876
Britain: $2,546
(Source: Commonwealth Fund)
(Compiled by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles)
