A new AARP report shows a little more than 1 out of every 10 Hawai'i residents between the ages of 50 and 64 are without health insurance.

That's more than the under-65 age group as a whole and could worsen because of the economic downturn.

"In Hawai'i, there's a tendency to assume that the healthcare needs of this group are covered by employer-mandated insurance," said AARP Hawaii state Director Barbara Kim Stanton.

"But as our economy weakens and unemployment rises, older adults tend to remain out of work more than 20 percent longer than younger workers."

However, Hawai'i residents as a whole have the second-lowest rate of lacking health insurance, AARP said.

AARP, a group that advocates and lobbies on the behalf of people 50 and older, said its research determined 26,700 people in the 50-64 age group here were without health coverage during 2007. AARP has been pressing Congress to guarantee access to affordable coverage for people in this group.

The percentage of people in the group probably rivaled that of residents in their 20s, who are typically healthier, said Jerry Russo, chairman of the University of Hawai'i-Manoa Economics Department. One of Russo's research areas is healthcare.

Russo said people who are 50 to 64 years old typically have a high demand for coverage because people generally have more health problems as they grow older.

People who are 65 or older don't have similar concerns about health coverage because they qualify for coverage under Medicare. Russo said some people incorrectly think Medicare kicks in at age 62, when some Social Security benefits are available for retirees.

"A lot of people mistakenly retire and don't realize they're not going to have health insurance," Russo said.

Hawai'i's uninsured rate for the group and state is lower than the nation as a whole. AARP said 13 percent, or 7.1 million, of 50- to 64-year-olds don't have insurance nationally. Hawai'i had the 24th-lowest percentage nationally.

U.S. Census Bureau figures also shows Hawai'i has the second-lowest percentage of uninsured people in the country. Its Current Population Survey shows 7.5 percent, or 96,000 residents, didn't have health insurance coverage in 2007.

That's half of the 15.3 uninsured percent rate the Census estimated for the nation as a whole.

Hawai'i has had one of the lowest rates of insured people because employer-provided healthcare coverage is required by law for people working more than 20 hours a week.

The Census Bureau numbers contrast with those released recently by Families USA, a group lobbying for affordable healthcare. The Families USA study looked at a broader period (two years versus the Census Bureau's one) and a looser definition of coverage loss (loss for at least a month versus the Census Bureau's 12 months).

In doing so, Families USA said 27 percent of people under age 65 had gone without health insurance during 2007 and 2008.