Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024
Have record levels of Americans been covered by health insurance during the Biden administration?
The rate of Americans without health insurance hit record lows in 2022 and 2023 by different measures.
The number of nonelderly uninsured individuals (25.6 million) and their uninsured rate (9.6%) reached record lows in 2022, the health policy organization KFF reported in December 2023.
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department reported that the uninsured rate for all U.S. residents reached an all-time low of 7.2% in the second quarter of 2023. The figure increased to 8.2% in the first quarter of 2024.
The historic lows were due to federal coverage policies during the COVID-19 pandemic and states expanding Medicaid eligibility, the research group Commonwealth Fund reported.
The requirement that states keep people on Medicaid during the public health emergency ended in April 2023. Some 360,000 Wisconsin residents lost coverage.
President Joe Biden claimed Aug. 19, 2024, at the Democratic National Convention that more Americans than ever have health insurance.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- KFF Key Facts about the Uninsured Population
- US Department of Health and Human Services National Uninsured Rate Reaches an All-Time Low in Early 2023 After the Close of the ACA Open Enrollment Period
- Centers for Disease Control Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Quarterly Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January 2023–March 2024
- Commonwealth Fund 2023 Scorecard on State Health System Performance
- Wisconsin Watch Worried about losing Medicaid access in Wisconsin? What to know
- USA TODAY Full speech: Joe Biden speaks at 2024 DNC | USA TODAY
About fact briefs
Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
See all fact briefs
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
Learn MoreLatest Fact Briefs
Is Wisconsin one of only six states with same-day voter registration?
Monday, Feb. 17, 2025
Do recent studies link water fluoridation with less dental decay in children?
Friday, Feb. 14, 2025
Are airline flights the safest mode of transportation in the U.S.?
Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025