30.0 Million People of All Ages Uninsured in U.S. in 2021

THURSDAY, May 5, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- In 2021, 30.0 million people of all ages were uninsured in the United States, representing a small, but not significant, decrease from 2020, according to early estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 2021, released by the National Center for Health Statistics at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Robin A. Cohen, Ph.D., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues used data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey to present estimates of health insurance coverage for the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population. In addition, selected trends were examined from 2019 to 2021.

The researchers found that at the time of interview, 30.0 million people of all ages (9.2 percent) were uninsured in 2021. This number was lower than the 31.6 million people of all ages (9.7 percent) who were uninsured in 2020, but the difference was not significant. Among adults aged 18 to 64 years, 13.5, 21.7, and 66.6 percent were uninsured, had public coverage, and had private health insurance coverage, respectively, at the time of interview in 2021. Among children aged 0 to 17 years, 4.1, 44.3, and 53.8 percent were uninsured, had public coverage, and had private health insurance coverage, respectively.

From 2019 to 2021, the percentage of non-Hispanic White adults aged 18 to 64 years who were uninsured decreased from 10.5 to 8.7 percent. During the same period, the percentage of people aged younger than 65 years with exchange-based coverage increased from 3.7 to 4.3 percent.

Abstract/Full Text