The middle class has been hardest hit when it comes to affording health insurance, says a new report out today by the The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The report, released as part of Cover the Uninsured Week, shows that nationally the number of middle-income earners who obtained health insurance from their employers dropped by 3 million people from 2000 to 2008.

Barely Hanging On: Middle-Class and Uninsured (pdf) chronicles state-by-state health coverage trends. In the first decade of this century, nearly every state has seen increased numbers of uninsured residents, greater costs for individual and family policies for health insurance and significant erosion in private coverage. The report was prepared by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) at the University of Minnesota.

For more information on national reforms would help the middle class and cover the uninsured, check out our What You Need to Know Right Now resources.