How many people have health insurance? What type of health insurance coverage do they have? And, importantly, how many people don’t have health insurance? Understanding health insurance coverage rates, including how many Americans don’t have health insurance (also referred to as the uninsured or uninsurance), is a foundational building block in understanding health needs of a population, as coverage directly impacts one’s ability to access and utilize health care.
Health insurance coverage data can also help in understanding the landscape of health care costs and affordability, including costs of coverage and care both in dollars (e.g., costs of
health insurance premiums, deductibles, out-of-pocket spending) and in behavior changes (e.g.,
forgoing health care or changing medication use due to cost). Additionally, health insurance coverage rates are an important consideration for assessing health outcomes. Understanding coverage rates by state and demographic subgroups provides pivotal information to understand the current coverage landscape, identify gaps, and best serve all communities.
Health Insurance Coverage Rates by Coverage Type, State, and More: Breakdowns and Data Source
State Health Compare provides annual, state-level estimates of health insurance coverage using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files. SHC provides coverage estimates for the following types of health insurance coverage: Uninsured (i.e., no health insurance coverage); Insured; Public Coverage; Medicaid; Medicare; Private Coverage; Employer-Sponsored Insurance; Individual.
Eleven breakdowns are available for this measure: Age, Citizenship, Disability Status, Education, Family Income, Limited English Proficiency, Marital Status, Poverty Level, Race/Ethnicity, Sex, and Work Status.
