On the heels off our recent health care coverage comes a new report, courtesy of the Gilead Outreach and Referral Center, with more bad news: the number of uninsured in Illinois has grown for the third straight year. Up 2.1 percent from 2005, 1.75 million Illinoisans went without insurance in 2006, the latest available data. The Tribune's medical blog Triage has more details. Here are a few key findings:
- 44 percent of the uninsured (764,237 Illinoisans) work full time, and another 14 percent (246,358) work part time.
- 30.9 percent of Hispanics (495,202) are uninsured, compared with 23 percent (399.012) of African-Americans and 10 percent of Caucasians (747,677).
- A surprising number of children in Illinois are uninsured, despite the state’s All Kids program. The census data puts the number at 323,197 children 18 or younger.
(Hat tip: Division Street)
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