In September, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its annual report on federal subsidies for health insurance, which included Medicare for the first time. This report contains crucial information about the status of federal health programs and how Americans receive their health coverage. The CBO’s report shows the tremendous growth of federal health spending and that 99 percent of Americans have insurance coverage or an opportunity to obtain subsidized coverage.
Below are 10 key takeaways prompted by the CBO report.
1. Only 1 Percent Of Americans Are Uninsured And Lack A Subsidized Coverage Opportunity
The CBO projects that 24.3 million individuals in the United States—or about 7.2 percent of the population—are uninsured in 2023. Of the uninsured population, 4.3 million people are eligible for Medicaid but not enrolled, 10.8 million people are eligible for other subsidized coverage—mostly employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) or a subsidized Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange plan—and 5.1 million people are not legal residents. This means that only 3.9 million people—or 1.2 percent of the population—are lawful residents who are uninsured and are not eligible for subsidized coverage