5M in U.S. lacking necessities since 2008

WASHINGTON, July 20 (UPI) -- Nearly 5 million fewer Americans have access to the basic necessities of life compared to October 2008, when the U.S. economy tanked, a Gallup poll indicates.

These findings are based on approximately 29,000 interviews of U.S. adults conducted each month from January 2008 through June 2011 as a part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. The Basic Access Index is a 13-item measure of Americans' access to basic necessities, ranging from food and shelter to clean water and access to healthcare.

Access to health insurance declined the most among the items included in the Basic Access Index. Last month, 82.1 percent reported having health insurance, continuing a steady decline from 85.4 percent in June 2008. Fewer Americans also report having a personal doctor and visiting the dentist at least once in the last 12 months.

Having enough money to buy food at all times in the last 12 months is also trending lower compared to 2008 and 2009, Gallup says. However, more Americans reported easy access to fresh, affordable fruits and vegetables last month than did in June 2008, the survey indicates.

The survey has a margin of error is .6 percentage points.