UNINSURED: Number of Americans lacking health insurance has decreased to 28.5 million in 2015

The number of Americans without health insurance has been decreasing, according to a survey conducted each year by the National Center for Health Statistics.  In 2010, there were an estimated 48.6 million Americans without health insurance.  As of the first half of 2015, that number had dropped to 28.5 million.  Let’s do the math.  That’s an improvement of 20 million people.

And for children, the results are also heartening.  In 2010, an estimated 5.8 million children were uninsured.  By the first half of 2015, that number had decreased to 3.3 million.  An improvement of 2.5 million.

Uninsured at the Time They Were Surveyed (all ages)

• 48.6 million, or 16 percent (2010)
• 46.3 million, or 15.1 percent (2011)
• 45.5 million, or 14.7 percent (2012)
• 44.8 million, or 14.4 percent (2013)
• 36 million, or 11.5 percent (2014)
• 28.5 million, or 9 percent (first half 2015)

These are federal government estimates based on the results of a sample survey of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States.

Source:  Martinez, M.E., and Cohen, R.A. (2015, Nov.). Health insurance coverage: Early release of estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January-June 2015. National Health Interview Survey early release program. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur201511.pdf  Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org