How many people are uninsured?
With pandemic-era coverage protections still in place, particularly the continuous enrollment provision in Medicaid and enhanced subsidies in the Marketplace, the number of uninsured decreased in 2022. In 2022, 25.6 million nonelderly individuals were uninsured, a decrease of 3.3 million from 2019.
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Who is uninsured?
Most uninsured people are in low-income families and have at least one worker in the family. Reflecting the more limited availability of public coverage in some states, nonelderly adults are more likely to be uninsured than children. Despite gains across groups over time, racial and ethnic disparities in coverage persist.
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Why are people uninsured?
Despite policy efforts to improve the affordability of coverage, many uninsured people cite the high cost of insurance as the main reason they lack coverage. In 2022, 64% of uninsured nonelderly adults said that they were uninsured because the cost of coverage was too high. Many uninsured people do not have access to coverage through a job, and some people, particularly poor adults in states that did not expand Medicaid, remain ineligible for financial assistance for coverage. Additionally, undocumented immigrants are ineligible for federally funded coverage, including Medicaid or Marketplace coverage.
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How does not having coverage affect health care access?
People without insurance coverage have lower access to care than people who are insured. Those without insurance are more likely to delay or forgo care due to costs. Studies repeatedly demonstrate that uninsured people are less likely than those with insurance to receive preventive care and services for major health conditions and chronic diseases.