9.7 Percent of All U.S. Persons Uninsured in 2020

THURSDAY, Sept. 2, 2021 (HealthDay News) — In 2020, 31.6 million U.S. persons of all ages (9.7 percent) were uninsured, which was slightly, but not significantly, lower than in 2019, according to early estimates released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics.

Robin A. Cohen, Ph.D., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues present estimates of health insurance coverage for the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population using data from the 2020 National Health Interview Survey.

The researchers found that 31.6 million persons of all ages (9.7 percent) were uninsured at the time of interview in 2020. This number was lower than — but did not differ significantly from — the proportion in 2019 (33.2 million persons; 10.3 percent uninsured). Overall, 13.9 percent of adults aged 18 to 64 years were uninsured at the time of interview in 2020; 20.5 and 67.5 percent had public coverage and private health insurance coverage, respectively. Among children aged 0 to 17 years, 5.1, 42.2, and 54.9 percent were uninsured, had public coverage, and had private health insurance coverage, respectively. Among adults aged 18 to 64 years, uninsurance was more likely among Hispanic adults than non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic Asian adults (29.3 percent versus 14.6, 9.2, and 8.8 percent, respectively).

Overall, 8.6 million adults aged 18 to 64 years (4.4 percent) were covered by private health insurance plans obtained through the Health Insurance Marketplace or state-based exchanges.

Abstract/Full Text