Fewer Americans Receiving Health Insurance

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The percentage of Americans who report getting health insurance from their employer has been steadily decreasing over the past three years, dropping to a low of 44.6% in February, according to Gallup, Inc.

Over the same time period, the percentage of Americans covered by government healthcare -- Medicare, Medicaid, or military/veterans' benefits -- has been increasing and now includes slightly more than one in four American adults.

The decline in employer-based coverage and increase in government healthcare has occurred in tandem with rising unemployment. Additionally, government healthcare coverage has increased among all age groups, not just seniors, suggesting that unemployment rather than aging baby boomers is contributing more to the uptick in the number of Americans with government healthcare.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index began tracking American adults' healthcare coverage in January 2008. Nearly one in six American adults (16.3%) were uninsured in February, a figure that has been fairly steady since February 2009.

The percentage of American adults who are uninsured increased significantly in the fall of 2008, amid the economic downturn, and first rose above 16% in February 2009, where it has largely stayed since.

Bottom Line

The ultimate fate of the new healthcare legislation is yet to be determined as individual states and the Republicans in Congress continue to mount challenges to the law. States are also facing severe financial problems related to Medicaid programs, causing them to cut healthcare coverage to many low-income residents, which could affect the aggregate number of Americans who are uninsured. Gallup and Healthways will continue to monitor health insurance coverage in the United States and regularly report updates on Gallup.com