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 SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
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Evelyn Pimplaskar
Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
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John Leach
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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
Written byChris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
Chris Schafer
Chris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
  • 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.

Featured in

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

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.

Featured in

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John Leach
Reviewed byJohn LeachLicensed P&C Agent, Chief Copy Editor
Photo of an Insurify author
John LeachLicensed P&C Agent, Chief Copy Editor
  • Licensed property and casualty insurance agent

  • 10+ years editing experience

  • NPN: 20461358

John is Insurify’s Chief Copy Editor, 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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