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United States Value:
Percentage of women ages 19-44 not covered by private or public health insurance
Additional Measures:
Appears In:
Percentage of women ages 19-44 not covered by private or public health insurance
Percentage of women ages 19-44 not covered by private or public health insurance
Percentage of women ages 19-44 not covered by private or public health insurance
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
Percentage of women ages 19-44 not covered by private or public health insurance
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
US Value: 12.9%
Top State(s): Massachusetts: 3.6%
Bottom State(s): Texas: 26.3%
Definition: Percentage of women ages 19-44 not covered by private or public health insurance
Data Source and Years: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2023.
Health insurance is a critical factor in ensuring women receive the preventive and medical care they need to achieve and maintain good health. Compared with insured women, uninsured women have more health challenges, including:
Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, the proportion of women of reproductive age who are uninsured has declined. States that expanded Medicaid showed greater progress in reducing their uninsured population; in 2019, the proportion of uninsured women in expansion states was 8%, compared with 17% in states that did not expand Medicaid.
The uninsured rate is higher among:
Common reasons for being uninsured include the cost of insurance, lack of knowledge about eligibility for free- or reduced-cost insurance, and falling into the coverage gap. It is estimated that 800,000 women of reproductive age were in the Medicaid coverage gap in 2019. This is particularly a problem in states that chose not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
Public programs that have been effective at reducing the rate of uninsured women include:
Healthy People 2030 has several health insurance-related objectives, including increasing the proportion of people with health insurance and reducing the proportion of people who can’t get medical care when they need it.
Increasing access to and coverage of high-quality maternal health services is one of five goals in the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, released in June 2022. The document outlines strategies the federal government should take to improve U.S. maternal and infant health outcomes.
Garfield, Rachel, Kendal Orgera, and Anthony Damico. 2020. “The Coverage Gap: Uninsured Poor Adults in States That Do Not Expand Medicaid.” Issue Brief. KFF. https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/the-coverage-gap-uninsured-poor-adults-in-states-that-do-not-expand-medicaid/.
Gunja, Munira Z., Sara R. Collins, Michelle M. Doty, and Sophie Beautel. 2017. “How the Affordable Care Act Has Helped Women Gain Insurance and Improved Their Ability to Get Health Care: Findings from the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey, 2016.” Issue Brief. The Commonwealth Fund. https://doi.org/10.15868/socialsector.28134.
Salganicoff, Alina, Usha Ranji, Adara Beamesderfer, and Nisha Kurani. 2014. “Women and Health Care in the Early Years of the Affordable Care Act: Key Findings from the 2013 Kaiser Women’s Health Survey.” Issue Brief. KFF. https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/report/women-and-health-care-in-the-early-years-of-the-aca-key-findings-from-the-2013-kaiser-womens-health-survey/.
Silvestri, Gerard A., Ahmedin Jemal, K. Robin Yabroff, Stacey Fedewa, and Helmneh Sineshaw. 2021. “Cancer Outcomes Among Medicare Beneficiaries And Their Younger Uninsured Counterparts: Study Compares Cancer Outcomes among Medicare Beneficiaries and Their Younger Uninsured Counterparts.” Health Affairs 40 (5): 754–62. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01839.
Solomon, Judith. 2021. “Closing the Coverage Gap Would Improve Black Maternal Health.” Washington, D.C.: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/closing-the-coverage-gap-would-improve-black-maternal-health.
Tolbert, Jennifer, Kendal Orgera, Natalie Singer, and Anthony Damico. 2019. “Key Facts about the Uninsured Population.” Issue Brief. KFF. https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.