Is 7.8 Million the Real Number of Uninsured Americans?

The Chicago Tribune reports on some comments made by Congressman Mark Kirk:

Kirk maintained that federal census estimates of 45.7 million uninsured Americans in 2007 were overstated, saying it included 9.5 million “non-citizens,” 12 million who were eligible for existing public health care coverage and another 16.4 million who were either in higher income brackets and didn’t purchase insurance or were temporarily uninsured. The real number, he said, was 7.8 million uninsured.

The non-partisan Web site Factcheck.org has tried to go through the numbers and notes that about 9.7 million uninsured are immigrants—but they are both legal and illegal. One group cited by the fact-checking organization suggested that 5.6 million may be undocumented.

Something to think about.