Change and Stability in the Characteristics of the Population Without Health Insurance.

Abstract

The uninsured population faces greater health risks than the insured population. Although prior research has examined how the uninsured rate has changed for various sociodemographic groups, less is known about how the characteristics of the uninsured population have changed in recent years. The analyses used 1-year American Community Survey data from 2013 through 2018 on the noninstitutionalized civilian population aged 19-64 years to examine trends in the characteristics of the U.S. uninsured population. Analyses also explored the importance of social and demographic change in the overall U.S. population by decomposing the change in the uninsured rate between 2013 and 2018. In 2018, the profile of the uninsured population differed from that of the noninstitutionalized civilian population aged 19-64 years with respect to a number of characteristics, including age, sex, and socioeconomic resources. Between 2013 and 2018, southern individuals and those with less than a high school education comprised a disproportionate share of the uninsured population. However, compositional changes did not drive the overall decline in the uninsured rate. Although prior research has considered changes in the uninsured rate for key sociodemographic groups, fewer studies have considered how these changes affected the composition of the uninsured population in the U.S. The profile of the uninsured population, which has changed over time, can help to inform interventions to target this group.