Last month, the U.S. Census Bureau released a report entitled Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007 that found household incomes increased 1.3 percent to $50,233, the nation’s poverty rate increased slightly, and the number of people without health insurance coverage declined from 47 million (15.8 percent) in 2006 to 45.7 million (15.3 percent) in 2007.

The most significant change from 2006 to 2007 was the number of children without health insurance. The number of uninsured children declined from 8.7 million (11.7 percent) in 2006 to 8.1 million (11.0 percent) in 2007. Census officials attributed this drop in uninsured children to the increase in enrollment in government sponsored health insurance programs, such as the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and Medicaid.

According to David Johnson, chief of the Census Bureau’s Housing and Household Economic Statistics division, the increase in the percentage of people covered through government-sponsored programs more than offset the drop in the proportion of people with private coverage, notably those with employer-based insurance.

While this report signifies a temporary success in covering the uninsured, NSBA believes that a broad, comprehensive reform of the health care system is critical to address the long-term needs that face so many Americans ability to obtain health insurance. NSBA believes that small business owners and their employees deserve reform that will reduce health care costs while improving quality, bring about a fair sharing of health care costs, and focus on the empowerment and responsibility of individual health care consumers.