Are essential workers less likely than other workers to have health insurance?
Workers deemed essential during the coronavirus pandemic, including grocery clerks, truckers, warehouse workers, cleaners and childcare providers, are less likely to have health insurance than the general U.S. working population. Last year, 8% of the U.S. population reported having no health insurance at any time during 2019. That number was higher among essential workers, with the exception of hospital staff and public-transit workers.
One study found that in 2018 and 2019, 11.5% of nursing home staff were uninsured. For home healthcare workers, the rate was 14.9%.
An analysis by the Center for Economic and Policy Research found that nearly 30% of custodial staff and 12.1% of grocery store employees had no health insurance from 2014 to 2018. In the construction industry, more than 24% of workers did not have health insurance in 2019.
