U.S. Census bureau figures released today show more North Carolinians than ever are without health insurance and numbers are growing.

According to Mark Holmes, vice president of the N.C. Institute of Medicine, North Carolina had the fifth largest increase in the country of uninsured residents, from 15.1 percent in 2004-2005 to 17.2 percent in 2006-2007.

In the past, Holmes said, affording health insurance has been a problem for people in lower income brackets, but the data shows it's increasingly a problem for middle class families. Middle class is defined as having an income of $40,000 to $60,000 per year for a family of four.

"Over three quarters of the uninsured are in a family with at least one full-time worker," said Holmes. "And half the uninsured adults are working full time."

Holmes said while the national spotlight is on federal health care reform, there is work to be done at the state level. The General Assembly has requested a report by January 2009 from the Institute of Medicine on possible solutions for the rising numbers of uninsured, including reaching the large number of children without access to regular healthcare.

"About 306,000 children are uninsured, and a little more than 180,000 of them are currently eligible for state and federally funded programs," said Holmes. "That's almost 60 percent of kids who could be insured tomorrow. The challenge is to find them and get them in."

The N.C. Institute of Medicine is an independent, nonprofit organization that serves as a non-political source of analysis and advice on issues of relevance to the health of North Carolina's population. Its 100 members are appointed by the Governor for five year terms.

This summer, the Institute of Medicine started a website to help North Carolinians in need of free or reduced cost health care. Click here for more information.