Two new reports focus on health coverage in the near elderly (age 55-64) population. One report examines trends in the population's income, health status, and insurance coverage and the other report profiles six near-elderly uninsured individuals' life challenges in the years preceding Medicare eligibility.

This report examines the changes in income, health status, and insurance coverage that occur with the aging of the population, focusing primarily on the nearly 26 million near elderly--those between 55 and 64 years of age. Report (.

These narratives focus on the experiences of those who are both near elderly and uninsured. They profile six individuals whose stories highlight a number of problems faced by large numbers of men and women in their fifties and early sixties. Report (.

Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Coverage: Sponsorship, Eligibility, and Participation Patterns in 2001 This report details who obtained employer-sponsored coverage in 2001, who did not, and why. Executive Summary (.pdf) Full Report (.