• About 10 percent of adults ages 19 to 64 were uninsured during the first half of 2021. Rates were higher among Latinx/Hispanic and Black adults compared to white adults.
• Six percent of working-age adults reported they lost their employer health coverage because of job loss related to the pandemic; of those, 67 percent gained other coverage.
• Just under half of respondents reported they had been directly affected by the pandemic in at least one of three ways: getting COVID-19, losing income, or losing employer coverage. One-third reported lost income.
• More than one-third of insured adults and half of uninsured adults reported they had problems paying medical bills or were paying off medical debt during the prior year. These rates were similar to those found in Commonwealth Fund surveys fielded prior to the pandemic.
• People directly affected by the pandemic reported having medical bill and debt problems at higher rates than those not directly affected.
• Among respondents with medical bill and debt problems, 35 percent used up all or most of their savings, 35 percent took on credit card debt, 27 percent had been unable to pay for basic necessities like food or rent, and 23 percent delayed education or career plans.

An estimated 10 percent of adults 19 to 64 were uninsured during the first half of 2021.

Six percent of adults reported that they lost employer coverage because of job loss related to the pandemic; 67 percent gained other coverage.

Gaps in health insurance can leave people exposed to high medical bills and prevent them from getting health care when needed. That’s why people need an easy way to transition to a new source of coverage during a major life event or an economic shock. Last year we saw just how important it is to have this flexibility.

There Is A Better Way