About 1.6 million more Americans had health insurance coverage in 2020, with the uninsured rate dropping slightly to 9.7%, according to early estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The U.S. health-insurance coverage improved during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of uninsured Americans falling to 31.6 million, or 9.7% of the population, from 33.2 million (10.3%) in 2019, according to preliminary estimates released by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics . While the figures represent a year-over-year decline, statisticians noted the difference was not statistically significant .
Coverage Gains Driven by Public Programs
The increase in coverage was primarily driven by growth in government-sponsored health plans, as public coverage grew by 2.1 million to 123.5 million Americans, while private insurance grew by 1.9 million to 200.6 million . Overall, 38% of respondents had public coverage, 61.8% had private coverage, and some individuals were covered by both .
Adults Aged 18–64 Most Likely to Be Uninsured
Among adults aged 18 to 64, 13.9% lacked health insurance—down from 14.7% in 2019 . Within this group, 67.5% had private health insurance coverage and 20.5% had public coverage . The study also found that adults 65 and older were most likely to be enrolled in a public health plan, at 95.9% .
Among children 17 years and younger, 5.1% were uninsured .
Uninsured Rates by Race and Income
Hispanic adults aged 18–64 were the group most likely to be uninsured across all racial groups, at 29.3%, followed by non-Hispanic Black adults at 14.6%, non-Hispanic white adults at 9.2%, and non-Hispanic Asian adults at 8.8% .
Income levels also played a significant role, with 25.3% of adults below 100% of the federal poverty level lacking insurance . States that expanded Medicaid had an uninsured rate of 10.2% for adults aged 18–64, compared to 20.8% in non-expansion states .
Data Collection Challenges
The CDC noted that the estimates could be impacted by changes in data collection procedures due to the pandemic. National Health Interview Survey data collection switched to a telephone-only mode beginning March 19, 2020, resulting in lower response rates and differences in respondent characteristics .
Overall, about 1.6 million more Americans had some form of health insurance coverage compared to the previous year, with enrollment growth in government-sponsored health plans playing a key role .
