I: The Impacts of Being Uninsured

I-1, Being Uninsured 

People without health care coverage have less access to care than people who are insured. In 2023, 6% of uninsured adults went without needed medical care due to cost.

Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/access-to-health-care.htm

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Studies repeatedly demonstrate that uninsured people are less likely than those with insurance to receive preventive care and services for major health conditions and chronic diseases.

Some reasons people do not get health insurance:

• Not affordable

• Not eligible for particular types of coverage

• Do not think they need or want it

• Signing up is too difficult or confusing

• Cannot find a plan that meets their needs

• Are subject to a waiting period for coverage to start

• Delays due to bureaucratic red tape or system glitches

• Job loss, gaps in employment, divorce from or death of the policyholder, geographic location

Learn More: https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population

 

I-2, Being Uninsured 

What are the financial implications of being uninsured?
The uninsured often face unaffordable medical bills when they do seek care. A 2024 report found that uninsured non-elderly adults were more than twice as likely as those with private coverage to have had problems paying medical bills in the past 12 months. These bills can quickly turn into medical debt, since most people who are uninsured have low or moderate incomes and have little, if any, savings.
Learn more: https://kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/

 

Can medical bills affect your credit rating?
In January 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized a rule that removes medical debt from credit reports. This rule is expected to eliminate approximately $49 billion in medical bills from the credit reports of about 15 million Americans.
Learn more: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-finalizes-rule-to-remove-medical-bills-from-credit-reports/

 

As of April 11, 2023, the large credit reporting agencies will no longer report medical collection debts below $500.
Learn more: https://cnet.com/personal-finance/higher-credit-scores-new-medical-debt-rules-could-give-a-boost/

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Bankruptcy and Health Insurance

Two thirds of bankruptcies in the United States are estimated to be related to medical debt or time off work due to illness.

 

I-3, Being Uninsured 

Examples of How Lack of Health Insurance Coverage May Negatively Affect Health

Uninsured People:

• Are less likely to receive preventive care, see a healthcare professional for a medical need, follow through with medical recommendations, or fill their prescriptions. They are more likely to be hospitalized for avoidable problems and when they are hospitalized, they get fewer tests and are more likely to die than people who have health care coverage.
  Learn More: https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/

• Have cancers diagnosed at later stages.
  Learn More: https://www.fightcancer.org/policy-resources/costs-cancer-among-uninsured-people-0#

• Are sicker and die earlier than those with insurance.
  Learn More: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2323087/#

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COVID-19

During the federal Public Health Emergency, COVID-19 testing, vaccines, and treatment services were available to most people without cost-sharing. Testing and vaccines were available for free even for those without insurance. However, these policies have now lapsed and the government is no longer purchasing or distributing COVID-19 vaccines
Learn more: https://healthsystemtracker.org/brief/most-private-insurers-are-no-longer-waiving-cost-sharing-for-covid-19-treatment/
https://hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/09/fact-sheet-end-of-the-covid-19-public-health-emergency.html