Health Insurance Coverage in the United States

In September 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau published a report on health insurance coverage in the United States.  The report is based on information collected in The Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement and the American Community Survey.

Here are some of the highlights from the report:

• In 2018, 8.5 percent of Americans, or 27.5 million people, did not have health insurance at any point during the year.
• The percentage of people with health insurance coverage for all or part of 2018 was 91.5 percent, lower than the rate in 2017 (92.1 percent).
• In 2018, private health insurance coverage continued to be more prevalent than public coverage, covering 67.3 percent of the population and 34.4 percent of the population, respectively.
• Between 2017 and 2018, the percentage of people covered by Medicaid decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 17.9 percent.
• The percentage of uninsured children under the age of 19 increased by 0.6 percentage points between 2017 and 2018, to 5.5 percent.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

• Ask students if they have health insurance of their own or through their parents. What are the premiums for their coverage?
• Ask students to make a list of available sources for private and public health insurance coverage in their states.

Discussion Questions

1. What might be some reasons why 8.5% of people, or 27.5 million, did not have health insurance in 2018?
2. While most people have a single type of health insurance, some people may have more than one type of coverage during a calendar year. Why?