This information is for reference purposes only. It was current when produced and may now be outdated. Archive material is no longer maintained, and some links may not work. Persons with disabilities having difficulty accessing this information should contact us at: https://info.ahrq.gov. Let us know the nature of the problem, the Web address of what you want, and your contact information.
Please go to www.ahrq.gov for current information.
AHRQ News and Numbers
Release date: May 10, 2005
Nationwide, the total number of people under age 65 who held individual health insurance policies declined more than 14 percent from 6.9 million in 1996 to 6 million in 2002, according to the Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Individual, or non-group, health insurance is coverage that people buy directly from health insurers when they are not eligible for employer-based private health insurance or public health insurance such as Medicaid.
- Between 1996 and 2002, the average premium for a single policy increased by 52 percent from $1,665 to $2,531.
- The average premium for a family policy increased by 33 percent from $3,329 to $4,442.
- Premiums also varied by the age of the policyholder. In 2002, average premiums for single coverage were:
- $1,661 for purchasers younger than 40
- $2,767 for purchasers 40 to 54
- $3,703 for purchasers 55 to 64
For a copy of this study, Premiums in the Individual Health Insurance Market for Policyholders under Age 65, 1996 and 2002, visit http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st72/stat72.pdf [PDF Help].
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850