Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January–June 2014

NCHS has released selected estimates of health insurance coverage for the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population based on data from the 2014 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), along with comparable estimates from the 2009–2013 NHIS. Estimates for January–June 2014 are based on data for 56,784 persons.

Three estimates of lack of health insurance coverage are provided: (a) uninsured at the time of interview, (b) uninsured at least part of the year prior to interview (which includes persons uninsured for more than a year), and (c) uninsured for more than a year at the time of interview.

Key Findings from the Report:

• In the first 6 months of 2014, 38.0 million persons of all ages (12.2%) were uninsured at the time of interview, 54.0 million (17.3%) had been uninsured for at least part of the year prior to interview, and 27.3 million (8.7%) had been uninsured for more than a year at the time of interview.
• Among persons under age 65, 62.8% (168.3 million) were covered by private health insurance plans at the time of interview. This includes 1.9% (5.0 million) covered by private plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace or state-based exchanges at the time of interview between January and June 2014. The proportion with exchange coverage increased from 1.4% (3.7 million) in the first quarter of 2014 (January–March) to 2.4% (6.3 million) in the second quarter of 2014 (April–June).
• Among adults aged 18–64, the percentage who were uninsured at the time of interview decreased from 20.4% in 2013 to 17.0% in the first 6 months of 2014.
• Among adults aged 19–25, the percentage who were uninsured at the time of interview decreased from 26.5% in 2013 to 20.1% in the first 6 months of 2014.
• In the first 6 months of 2014, the percentage of persons under age 65 who were uninsured at the time of interview varied by state. For example, 8.0% were uninsured in Pennsylvania, whereas 23.0% were uninsured in Texas.