The number of Americans without health insurance continued to climb in 2018, and has increased by nearly 30% in the past two years.
That increase corresponds to about 7 million additional Americans who do not have health insurance, according to data released yesterday by Gallup.
Nationwide, 13.7% of Americans had no health insurance, according to the report. While still way below the high-water mark of 18% set in the third quarter of 2013, the number has been rising steadily since it hit its low point of 10.9% in the fourth quarter of 2016.
During the course of the past two years, more younger people, more women, and more individuals with lower annual household incomes have lost their health insurance. More than 21% of individuals between the ages of 18 and 34 don’t have health insurance, up from 16.8% at the end of 2016.
Nearly 45% of households with annual incomes of less than $48,000 did not have health insurance, up from 39% two years ago, and compared with 9.5% of households with annual incomes in excess of $90,000.
Geographically, more individuals living in the South and the Western portions of the U.S. do not have health insurance, compared with those living in the East or Midwest.
Among the likely reasons why more individuals are losing their health insurance are: higher premiums and deductibles, more work requirements needed to obtain healthcare coverage in certain states, and an increase in the number of individuals who think the Affordable Care Act has been repealed.
