The U.S. uninsured rate held steady at 8.3% in 2025, with about 28 million Americans lacking health coverage, according to data published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The rate was largely unchanged from 8.2% in 2024.
The CDC’s National Health Interview Survey showed 23.5 million adults ages 18 to 64 were uninsured in 2025, along with 4 million children. Adults between 18 and 64 remained the age group most likely to lack coverage.
Private health insurance coverage continued rising. Among adults ages 18 to 64, private coverage increased to 69.4% in 2025 from 66.6% in 2021, while public coverage declined to 21.0% from a 2023 peak of 23.0%.
The report also showed exchange-based Affordable Care Act coverage climbed to 6.3% in 2025 from 4.3% in 2021. Coverage was highest among households earning between 100% and 200% of the federal poverty level.
Medicaid And ACA Pressures Build
The CDC data arrives as healthcare affordability concerns continue growing across the U.S.
Earlier Congressional Budget Office analysis found several Republican Medicaid reform proposals could leave millions without coverage over the next decade. One proposal to reduce federal Medicaid funding for states that expanded coverage under the Affordable Care Act was estimated to remove coverage for 5.5 million people by 2034, with 2.4 million expected to become uninsured.
Another proposal involving the elimination of state provider taxes was projected to result in 8.6 million people losing Medicaid coverage and 3.9 million more Americans becoming uninsured by 2034.
Affordable Care Act enrollment is also expected to weaken after enhanced pandemic-era subsidies expired. KFF estimated ACA marketplace enrollment could decline to about 17.5 million people in 2026 from 22.3 million in 2025 as insurance premiums and deductibles rise.
Earlier reporting also showed average ACA monthly premiums climbed 58% year-over-year after enhanced tax credits expired, while deductibles reached record highs.
Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban has also criticized rising insurance premiums and high deductibles, arguing many households struggle to fully use their healthcare coverage.
The CDC report showed uninsured rates remained significantly higher in states that did not expand Medicaid. Adults ages 18 to 64 in non-expansion states recorded an uninsured rate of 18.1% in 2025, compared with 9.0% in Medicaid expansion states.
Hispanic Coverage Improved
Hispanic adults recorded the sharpest improvement in coverage.
The uninsured rate among Hispanic adults ages 18 to 64 fell to 21.9% in 2025 from 30.1% in 2021. Still, Hispanic adults remained the demographic group most likely to lack health insurance coverage.
The CDC survey was based on interviews with more than 24,800 adults and 6,000 children nationwide.
Disclaimer: This content was produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock
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