MedPage Today May 24, 2023
— But that number will slowly rise as pandemic health insurance protections unwind, experts say
WASHINGTON — The uninsured rate in the U.S. has fallen to a record-low 8.3%, but that percentage is expected to gradually increase as insurance protections from the COVID-19 pandemic wind down, according to officials from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
The temporary policies enacted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic “have contributed to a record low uninsurance rate in 2023 of 8.3% and record-high enrollment in both Medicaid and ACA [Affordable Care Act] marketplace coverage,” said Caroline Hanson, PhD, principal analyst at the CBO, during a briefing sponsored by Health Affairs. “As those temporary policies expire under current law, the distribution of coverage will...