Revised Census Bureau figures show that in 2005, 44.8 million people, or 15.3% of the population, were without health insurance—about 1.8 million fewer than the bureau previously reported in August 2006.

Some industry observers ascribe the change in estimates of new initiatives, including Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to the reduction.  They also expect the 2006 figures to show a greater decline as the impact of more affordable insurance offerings takes hold.

The original 2005 estimate was 46.6 million or about 15.9% of the population. For both 2004 and 2005, the original and revised estimates differ by less than 1%, the Census Bureau said.

The need for a revision in the numbers was discovered during a conversion to a more accurate operating system for the Current Population Survey, according to the bureau. In improving the quality and timeliness of the data, the Census Bureau noted that a small percentage of residents in a household were tabulated as “not covered” when they in fact were.

No other questions in the survey were affected, the bureau said. Revised figures for the years 1995 to 2003 will be issued in August with the release of the 2006 health insurance numbers, bureau officials said.