America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers
Uninsured Rate Declined in 28 States 2019-2021
During the past two years, Congress passed measures to improve access to public and private health insurance coverage during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency including continuing coverage for people receiving Medicaid and introducing policies to help people access and afford the cost of care.
These and other federal and state policies contributed to an increase in public coverage in 36 states, leading to lower uninsured rates in 28 states in 2021. Only one state ? North Dakota ? had a higher uninsured rate in 2021 than in 2019, according to the Census Bureau?s 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates.
The large sample size of the ACS shows health insurance rates and types of coverage in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, including private coverage (employer-sponsored, direct-purchase and TRICARE), public coverage (Medicare, Medicaid, CHAMPVA and VACARE), and the overall uninsured rate at the state level.
Changes in health insurance coverage across states may be affected by a variety of factors like differences in the age of the population, economic conditions and federal and state policy changes. Understanding these differences may help inform policies to improve health and well-being.
Continue reading?to learn more about:
- State differences in the uninsured rate in 2021
- Private health insurance coverage
- Public health insurance coverage
- Medicaid expansion and public coverage
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