8% of Americans Uninsured in 2025 as Policy Changes Loom

NEW YORK — Approximately 8% of Americans — about 26 million people — lacked health insurance in 2025, according to new data released Thursday by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. While the uninsured rate held steady at historically low levels, the ranks of the uninsured could soon expand as the Trump administration’s sweeping health policy changes begin to take effect.

The findings, drawn from the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey, represent the first complete data for 2025 — the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term. Although the percentage remained stable, the raw number of uninsured grew by roughly 800,000 people, including 300,000 children, driven by overall U.S. population growth, as AP News reported.

A Precarious Stability

The 8% uninsured rate marks a significant improvement from the peak of over 18% in 2010, before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted. The rate fell to nearly 10% by 2016, rose to 11-12% during Trump’s first term, and hit an all-time low below 9% in 2023 during the COVID-19 pandemic when government policies preserved coverage.

But experts warn that the current stability masks underlying vulnerabilities. Massive changes to Medicaid passed into law in 2025 could result in 10 million more uninsured individuals over a decade, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates cited by Yahoo Finance. The Republican-backed “One Big Beautiful Bill” includes significant cuts to Medicaid, the primary health insurance program for low-income Americans, along with new work requirements expected to knock millions from its rolls.

Expired Subsidies and Marketplace Decline

Adding to the pressure, enhanced subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act expired at the end of 2025, causing premium spikes for ACA marketplace plans. According to KFF, roughly 5 million fewer people are expected to enroll in ACA plans in 2026 compared with 2025, dropping from 22.3 million to approximately 17.5 million enrollees.

The Trump administration has sought to expand access through alternative approaches, including low-premium catastrophic health insurance plans and the TrumpRx initiative, which expanded to include over 600 generic drugs in May 2026 through partnerships with Mark Cuban, GoodRx, and Amazon Pharmacy. The administration has suggested that projected enrollment declines reflect the removal of fraudulent and ineligible enrollees rather than eligible Americans losing coverage.

Disagreement Over the Numbers

David Howard, a professor of health policy and management at Emory University, noted that many researchers consider the U.S. Census Bureau to be “the official scorekeeper” for insurance data, though the CDC survey tracks closely with Census figures. Howard also pointed to a nuanced trend in the data: the survey suggests a possible increased insured rate among Hispanic Americans, but “that may in part reflect the effects of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, if uninsured members of that group left the country.”

What Lies Ahead

Without congressional action to restore subsidies or modify Medicaid cuts, projections suggest the uninsured population could climb to 31 million or higher by 2027, according to the Harvard Law Petrie-Flom Center. The potential impact on children — with 300,000 newly uninsured in 2025 alone — raises particular concerns about pediatric healthcare access and preventive care.

Key questions remain: Will Congress act before the 2026 midterm elections? How will states respond to federal Medicaid cuts — by increasing state funding or tightening eligibility? And will market-based initiatives like TrumpRx meaningfully offset coverage losses from Medicaid cuts and subsidy expirations?

For now, the CDC data offers a snapshot of a nation at a crossroads — holding steady at historically low uninsured levels, but facing policy headwinds that could reverse years of progress in expanding healthcare coverage.