In our story today, we report an uptick in the percentage of Americans without health insurance to 16.6.% in September of this year, compared to 13.9% in September of 2008.
Only Gallup can so precisely and consistently measure the percentage of American adults who say they do not have health insurance. We do so by asking 1,000 American adults if they have health insurance every single night as part of our Gallup Daily tracking. President Obama referenced our data last month as being even more up-to-date than the U.S. Census data, which it is.
In a debate as contentious and complicated as this one, it is important to step back from emotions and assumptions and consider the empirical facts. In our story, Elizabeth Mendes and Frank Newport report that, "While there has been some fluctuation in the estimated percentage of uninsured in 2009, the ranks of the uninsured have clearly remained higher compared to last year." Thus, while there continues to be a difference of opinions on how best to bring this number down, and at what cost, the data document a real and escalating problem that cannot be ignored.
When asked in our most recent non-daily survey if they would advise their member of Congress to vote for or against a healthcare bill this year, 25% said they did not have an opinion, and even when pressed, 8% continued to say so. This, to me, suggests a need for more information. Our data details evidence on the problem side of the equation, and we're committed to continuing to provide that. What may be needed is more evidence on the solution side, so that solutions are crafted based on real, rather than political, truths.