Vital Signs

The number of adults 18–64 years old without health insurance is high and continues to rise.

More adults 18–64 years old went without health insurance than ever before.

• About 1 in 4 adults this age (about 50 million) reported not having health insurance for at least part of the past 12 months.
• About 1 in 6 adults this age (about 30 million) went without health insurance for the past 12 months or longer.
• During each of the past few years, the number of adults this age who went without health insurance for at least part of the past 12 months increased by an average of 1.1 million.
• More than half of adults this age without health insurance for more than the past 12 months had no usual source of medical care.

Adults 18–64 years old without health insurance, 2008–2010 (Jan-Mar)

SOURCE: National Health Interview Survey, Jan-Mar 2010.

Adults 18–64 years old who have a chronic illness and who do not have health insurance are more likely to skip or delay medical care because of cost.

• 40% of the entire US population has one or more chronic illnesses.
• Currently insured adults this age with a chronic illness who recently had even a short gap in health insurance coverage were 3 times as likely to skip medical care because of cost compared to those continuously insured.
• More than 40% of adults this age without health insurance in the past 12 months who had high blood pressure, asthma, or diabetes reported in 2009 that they had skipped care because of cost.
• Delays in health care can lead to poorer health and higher medical costs over time.

Adults 18–64 years old with a disability skipped or delayed some medical care in the past 12 months because of cost.

• Almost 1 in 4 (46 million) adults this age in the US have a disability.
• About 30% of adults this age with a disability reported in 2009 that they had no health insurance in the past 12 months.
• Overall, disabled persons were about twice as likely as those with no disability to skip or delay medical care. About 60% of adults this age with a disability who had recent gaps in the past 12 months in their insurance skipped or delayed medical care, compared with only 16% for those with continuous insurance coverage.