CDC: 8.8 percent uninsured in US in first half of 2018

(HealthDay)—In the first six months of 2018, 8.8 percent of U.S. individuals of all ages were uninsured, which was not significantly different from 2017, according to a report published Nov. 15 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics.

Michael E. Martinez, M.P.H., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues presented health insurance estimates for the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population using data for 39,112 persons from the first six months of the 2018 National Health Interview Survey.

The researchers found that 8.5 million persons of all ages (8.8 percent) were uninsured in the first six months of 2018, which did not differ significantly from 2017, but was 20.1 million fewer persons than in 2010. Among adults aged 18 to 64 years, 12.5 percent were uninsured, while 20.0 and 69.2 percent had public coverage and private health coverage, respectively, in the first six months of 2018. Among children aged 0 to 17 years, 4.4, 43.4, and 53.6 percent were uninsured, had public coverage, and had private health insurance coverage, respectively. Overall, 69.2 percent of adults were covered by private health insurance plans, including 4.0 percent by plans obtained through the Health Insurance Marketplace or state-based exchanges.

"The percentage of persons under age 65 with private health insurance enrolled in a high-deductible health plan increased, from 43.7 percent in 2017 to 46.0 percent in the first six months of 2018," the authors write.

Copyright © 2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.