More Than 27 Million Now Without Health Insurance, Reversing Record Lows

8% of the population lacks healthcare coverage, according to CDC.

Chris Schafer
Written byChris Schafer
Chris Schafer
Chris SchaferSenior Editor
  • 15+ years in content creation

  • 7+ years in business and financial services content

Chris is a seasoned writer/editor with past experience across myriad industries, including insurance, SAS, finance, Medicare, logistics, marketing/advertising, and many more.

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Evelyn Pimplaskar
Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
  • 10+ years in insurance and personal finance content

  • 30+ years in media, PR, and content creation

Evelyn leads Insurify’s content team. She’s passionate about creating empowering content to help people transform their financial lives and make sound insurance-buying decisions.

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John Leach
Reviewed byJohn Leach
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John LeachSenior Insurance Copy Editor
  • Licensed property and casualty insurance agent

  • 8+ years editing experience

John leads Insurify’s copy desk, helping ensure the accuracy and readability of Insurify’s content. He’s a licensed agent specializing in home and car insurance topics.

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Published August 14, 2024 at 5:00 PM PDT | Reading time: 1 minutes

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More than 8% of the U.S. population didn’t have health insurance in the first three months of 2024, according to findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) quarterly National Health Interview Survey. That percentage equates to 27.1 million Americans and marks the first notable increase in uninsured citizens since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The percentage of uninsured Americans in the first quarter of 2023 was 7.7%, according to the CDC. The 2023 figure was one of four consecutive quarters in which the percentage of uninsured Americans fell below 8%.

While 2024 numbers have broken the streak and mark an increase, the CDC says this rising total is not yet “statistically significant,” adding that future quarterly surveys will paint a more accurate picture of health insurance use in the United States.

Why the increase?

The number of uninsured Americans climbed to 10.3% in the months before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, numbers dropped during the pandemic and remained on a lower trajectory until 2024’s recent upswing.

Experts have credited pandemic-era healthcare changes with significantly reducing that number, particularly a moratorium placed on states reverifying Medicaid eligibility requirements. This moratorium prevented habitual churn and stopped many otherwise eligible individuals from being displaced from state health insurance programs.

However, the moratorium is over and most states are expected to return to standard Medicaid reviews by the end of August.


What’s next? Increase may be start of disturbing trend

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services forecasts that the return of eligibility checks, otherwise known as Medicaid unwinding, and the conclusion of COVID-related temporary subsidies will cause the number of uninsured Americans to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2026.

The Congressional Budget Office shares a similar view, adding that the influx of new immigrants will also drive the nation’s uninsured population higher.

Chris Schafer
Chris SchaferSenior Editor

Chris is Insurify’s Senior Editor for home insurance. He’s a seasoned writer/editor with past experience across myriad industries, including insurance, SAS, finance, Medicare, logistics, marketing/advertising, and many more. He is passionate about breaking down complex subject material to make important information accessible to everyone. 

Chris began his career as a journalist, managing two weekly newspapers, then moving into marketing and content marketing roles. Before joining Insurify, Chris served as the content strategy manager at Siteimprove and as the content manager at Brandpoint, where he managed a team of content creators. 

Away from work, Chris is an active hockey player and proud father of two rambunctious little girls. Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in mass communications from the University of Minnesota. 

Evelyn Pimplaskar
Edited byEvelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
Evelyn Pimplaskar
Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
  • 10+ years in insurance and personal finance content

  • 30+ years in media, PR, and content creation

Evelyn leads Insurify’s content team. She’s passionate about creating empowering content to help people transform their financial lives and make sound insurance-buying decisions.

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John Leach
Reviewed byJohn LeachSenior Insurance Copy Editor
Photo of an Insurify author
John LeachSenior Insurance Copy Editor
  • Licensed property and casualty insurance agent

  • 8+ years editing experience

John leads Insurify’s copy desk, helping ensure the accuracy and readability of Insurify’s content. He’s a licensed agent specializing in home and car insurance topics.

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