Uninsured Americans Exceed 27 Million, CDC Report Reveals

Aldgra Fredly has reported that the percentage of uninsured Americans has risen to 8.2% in the first quarter of the year, as per the survey findings published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Aug. 6.

Uninsured Americans on the Rise

The CDC report estimates that as of March this year, 27.1 million Americans of all ages were without health insurance. This is a significant increase from the 25.5 million or 7.7% that were uninsured at the end of the previous year.

Uninsured Rates Among Income Levels

The report also revealed that the percentage of uninsured people earning below the federal poverty level increased from 13.9% last year to 15.7% in the first quarter of 2024, marking the highest percentage among income levels.

Private and Public Health Insurance Coverage

In the first three months of 2023, almost two-thirds (64.9%) of people under age 65 were covered by private health insurance, while more than a quarter (27.7%) were covered by public health insurance. The number of people of all ages enrolled in public health insurance plans decreased from 39.9% in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 39.2% this year, according to the CDC.

Projected Increase in Uninsured Americans

A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report released in June projected that the rate of uninsured Americans will increase to 8.9% over the next 10 years due to immigration, among other factors. The CBO report stated, “The surge in immigration that began in 2021 (and that CBO projects will continue through 2026) will contribute to the increase as well, as those newly arrived immigrants will, the agency expects, be substantially less likely to have health insurance coverage than the overall population.”

COVID-19 Pandemic Policies and Uninsured Rates

The CBO also attributed the rise in the uninsured rate to the end of a COVID-19 pandemic-era policy extending Medicaid eligibility and the expiration of enhanced marketplace subsidies. The CBO report projected that the number of uninsured Americans aged between 18 and 44 will see the largest increase over the next decade.

Changes in Health Insurance Policies

In March, President Joe Biden rolled back a Trump-era policy that expanded the availability of limited health insurance policies that are exempt from coverage requirements under the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as “Obamacare.” These limited health insurance policies, referred to by Biden as “junk health insurance,” provide a limited range of coverage for lower premiums. Under President Barack Obama, individuals could be covered through these limited insurance plans for only three months. However, in 2018, the Trump administration approved a new rule allowing people to obtain coverage under these limited policies for an initial period of 12 months, with the ability to extend the coverage for up to 36 months. The Biden administration announced a rule that largely reverts to the Obama-era constraints, capping the duration of these limited insurance policies to three months with the ability to extend the policies for one additional month.

Bottom Line

The rising number of uninsured Americans is a concerning trend that could have significant implications for the health and wellbeing of the nation. The changes in health insurance policies and the projected increase in uninsured rates over the next decade highlight the importance of ongoing discussions about healthcare reform. What are your thoughts on this issue? Share this article with your friends and join the conversation. Remember, you can sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is delivered every day at 6pm.