By Hank Russell
A recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau showed that the percentage of New Yorkers without insurance grew last year, making New York one of 18 states and the District of Columbia that saw more of its residents uninsured.
According to the Bureau’s American Community Survey, 5.0% of all New Yorkers were without insurance in 2024. That is up from last year, when 4.8% were uninsured. However, the percentages are lower than the nation’s; 8.2% of U.S. residents did not have insurance last year, compared to 2023, when 7.9% of the national population were without insurance.
Among adults ages 19 to 64, seven percent were uninsured last year. This is up from 2023, when 6.8% were uninsured. Additionally, New York was one of 17 states that saw more of its residents without insurance. However, the nation’s percentage rate was far higher. In 2023, 11.0% of those nationwide did not have insurance; the following year, the percentage went up to 11.3%.
The only good news was that only 2.7% of New Yorkers under the age 19 were uninsured in 2024, down from 2.8% the previous year. Further, across the country, 6.0% did not have insurance last year, which is more than in 2023, when 5.4% were not insured.
The report’s author, Caitlin Carter, said there have been changes in coverage, “ reflecting changes in economic conditions and demographic shifts (such as population aging) and policy changes at the federal and state levels that affect access to care.”
“Recent policy changes at the federal and state levels may have affected uninsured rates presented in this report,” Carter said, noting that the Families First Coronavirus Response Act required states to provide continuous coverage and a part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act requiring continuous coverage for individuals enrolled in Medicaid ended two years ago.
“It is important to note that changes in the availability and accessibility of public coverage may also affect the supply and demand for private coverage,” Carter said. “As a result, a variety of changes in the uninsured rate are possible.”