The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 8% of Americans were without health insurance in 2025. This rate has remained steady but could increase as recent policy changes take effect. These changes include significant modifications to Medicaid and the expiration of certain Affordable Care Act subsidies, which had helped offset premium costs.

Impact of Policy Changes

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that changes to Medicaid could lead to 10 million more uninsured individuals over the next decade. Additionally, the expiration of ACA subsidies is expected to result in 5 million fewer people enrolling in marketplace health plans in 2026 compared to 2025, according to the healthcare research nonprofit KFF.

The Trump administration, during its second term, has aimed to expand access to low-premium catastrophic health insurance plans and reduce drug prices for uninsured Americans. The administration suggests that projected declines in insurance enrollment may indicate a reduction in fraudulent and ineligible enrollees.

Demographic Shifts and Historical Context

While the overall uninsured rate remained stable, the number of uninsured individuals grew by approximately 800,000, including 300,000 children, partly due to population growth. The survey also indicates a potential increase in insured rates among Hispanic Americans, possibly influenced by the administration’s immigration policies.

Historically, the uninsured rate for Americans under 65 rose from 12% in 1980 to over 18% in 2010, before falling after the ACA’s implementation. The rate dropped to nearly 10% by 2016, rose again during Trump’s first term, and fell below 9% during the COVID-19 pandemic due to government measures to maintain coverage.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.