Carla Jackson has avoided going to the doctor since losing her job and health coverage two years ago.
It hasn't always worked out well.
"I got so sick, I had to go to the hospital for five or six days to regulate my blood pressure," said Jackson, a Columbus mother of four with high blood pressure.
After a lucrative career in the banking industry, Jackson, 39, joined a growing number of Americans without health insurance.
An annual report released by the U.S. Census Bureau yesterday found that 46.3 million Americans were uninsured in 2008. That's up from 45.7 million in 2007. Many, like Jackson, lost jobs and employer-provided coverage in the first year of the national recession.
While the number covered by private insurance dropped, those relying on government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare climbed. As a result, the percentage of uninsured Americans remained unchanged between 2007 and 2008 at 15.4 percent, said David S. Johnson, an analyst for the census bureau.
In Ohio, 11.5 percent of the state's nearly 11.4 million residents were uninsured in 2008, according to the report. The Midwest and Northeast had the lowest uninsured rates in 2008, while rates were highest in the West and South.
The analysis of America's financial well-being included data on income, poverty and health insurance and was released the day after President Barack Obama renewed his call for a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health-care system.
Yesterday, supporters said the report underscored the need for passing the comprehensive legislation.
Analysts cautioned that the survey does not include 2009 data and the persistent recession means conditions are likely worse today.
"With the severity of job loss we've seen in this recession and the continuing fiscal crisis in our state, the numbers for 2009 are bound to be much worse," said Emily Campbell, an analyst for the Cleveland-based Center for Community Solutions.
Adults ages 18 to 64 have greater difficulty keeping health coverage than children do.
The census report showed that 20 years ago, the uninsured rate for children was about 13 percent, the same as the overall population. Since then, the rate of uninsured children has dropped to just under 10 percent, while the rate of adults without health coverage has climbed.
In fact, despite a jump in the number of children living in poverty in 2008 to nearly 1 in 5, the number of youngsters without health insurance fell to its lowest rate since 1987.
The decline appears to be due to growing numbers of children covered through the State Children's Health Insurance Program, a tax-funded plan for low-income youngsters. In Ohio, children in families earning up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level (currently $44,100 for a family of four) are eligible.
The census report also showed an increase in the nation's poverty rate and a decrease in household income.
In 2008, 13.2 percent of Americans -- 39.8 million people -- were living in poverty, up from 12.5 percent in 2007. That's the highest rate of poverty since 1997.
The poverty threshold last year was $22,025 for a family of four.
The median household income -- the point where half the population earns more and half earns less -- fell to $50,303 in 2008, from $52,163 in 2007. The decline broke a string of three years of annual income increases and coincides with the start of the recession.
For Ohioans like Jackson who have lost their jobs or are working in lower-paying positions, it could take years to recovery financially.
Jackson, who has two children heading to college, said she doesn't know when she'll be able to pay her hospital bills.
"My priority now is to keep my sons in school," Jackson said.
"I'm just worried about today and trying to repair what I've lost these last two years."
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