U.S. Uninsured Rate Hits Record Low in First Quarter of 2023

The overall number of Americans without health insurance dropped to a record low of 7.7% in the first three months of 2023, according to analysis by the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). This marks the first time the uninsured rate has dropped below 8% since NHIS began tracking health insurance in 2001.

The findings are featured in a web table report, “Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Quarterly Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January 2022 – March 2023.” The report also shows that among working-age American (those ages 18-64), 11% did not have health insurance in the first quarter of 2023, a record low.

Highlights from the report:

• 7% or 25.3 million Americans of all ages did not have health insurance in the first three months of 2023 compared to 8.0% or 26.4 million during the same period in 2022.
• Almost two-thirds (64.9%) of people under age 65 were covered by private health insurance and more than a quarter (27.7%) were covered by public health insurance in the first three months of 2023.
• In the first quarter of 2023, 1 in 4 Hispanic adults ages 18–64 (25.0%) lacked health insurance, a greater percentage than Black, non-Hispanic adults (10.1%), White, non-Hispanic adults (6.9%) and Asian, non-Hispanic adults (2.7%).

NHIS Early Release program estimates provide access to the most recent information from NHIS. Final data editing and data weighting have not yet been performed.