Survey: 8 percent of Americans didn’t have health insurance in 2023

Before implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, nearly twice as many people, 16 percent of the population, were without health coverage, the Commonwealth Fund reported, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The survey, administered between March 18 and June 24, involved a nationally representative sample of 8,201 adults age 19 and older. Because most people 65 and older population have Medicare, the survey focused on a smaller sample of 6,480 respondents ages 19 to 64.

The survey data was drawn from interviews, conducted by telephone and online in English and Spanish, with members of a representative sample of U.S. households. To determine health-care coverage, respondents were asked questions about medical debt, household size, total income and prescription drug utilization.

In addition to those without insurance, the research found that 12 percent of respondents experienced a lapse in coverage over the past year. Also, 23 percent of Americans were underinsured, which was defined as having insurance coverage that didn’t provide affordable access to health care.

That includes insurance plans with high deductibles or out-of-pocket expenses, for which the analysis cites rising health-care spending as a significant causative factor. Three out of five underinsured adults reported avoiding needed health care because of the cost. This included not going to the doctor when sick, skipping a recommended follow-up visit or test, not seeing a specialist when recommended or not filling a prescription.

Of those, 41 percent said that delay made an existing health problem worse. The research cites areas of policy change that should be addressed to give more people access to good insurance, including extending the enhanced marketplace premium tax credits and making changes to Medicaid eligibility and coverage.