In contrast, changes in the distribution of the expenditure-toincome
ratio account for most of the observed change in coverage in
1979–1995. A 10 percent increase in the expenditure-to-income ratio
results in a 1.2-percentage-point increase in the percentage uninsured.
The median expenditure-to-income ratio increased from 4.5
percent to 7.3 percent, an increase of 62 percent. This 62 percent
increase in the expenditure-to-income ratio should have resulted in
a decrease of 7.5 percentage points in the percentage uninsured. The
increase in the ratio accounts for almost all of the 8.2-percentagepoint
decline in the percentage uninsured in 1979–1995.