The United States has a national uninsured rate of 7.7 percent. Provider shortages leave rural areas with 39.8 primary care physicians per 100,000 residents compared to 53.3 in urban areas. Average waits for new patient appointments stretch to 26 days while medical debt touches 41 percent of adults.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, there were 2.6 primary care physicians per 1,000 people in the U.S., below WHO recommendation.
- In 2022, average annual premiums for employer family coverage reached $16,951, up 3% from 2021.
- Black Americans were 1.5 times more likely to delay care due to transportation in 2022.
- In 2022, 91.6% of the U.S. population had health insurance coverage, totaling approximately 303.6 million people, with private insurance covering 65.6% and public insurance 36.3% including overlaps.
- In 2022, the uninsured rate for children under 19 was 5.4%, down from 6.0% in 2021, covering 4.0 million uninsured kids.
Many Americans still face gaps in healthcare access, making affordability and availability ongoing challenges.
Related reading
01 · Category
Access to Providers20 stats
01
In 2022, there were 2.6 primary care physicians per 1,000 people in the U.S., below WHO recommendation.
02
Rural areas had 39.8 primary care physicians per 100,000 vs. 53.3 in urban in 2021.
03
Average wait time for new patient primary care appointment was 26 days nationally in 2022.
04
Only 84% of U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a hospital emergency department.
05
In 2023, 63 million Americans lived in mental health professional shortage areas.
06
OB-GYN shortage projected to reach 8,800 by 2030 in underserved areas.
07
Federally Qualified Health Centers served 30.5 million patients in 2022 across 1,400 sites.
08
Telehealth visits surged to 64 million in 2022, improving access in remote areas.
09
20% of U.S. counties lack obstetric care access, affecting 2.2 million women.
10
Dentist-to-population ratio was 60.9 per 100,000 in 2022, with shortages in 5,700 areas.
11
Average distance to nearest hospital was 10.3 miles in rural U.S. in 2021.
12
Nurse practitioner scope limits access in 27 states restricting full practice.
13
88 million Americans live in primary care health professional shortage areas as of 2023.
14
Wait times for psychiatrists averaged 25 days in 2022.
15
Community health centers had wait times of 4.5 weeks for new patients in 2022.
16
Only 12% of physicians practice in rural areas despite 20% population.
17
Urgent care centers numbered 11,000 in 2023, reducing ER overcrowding.
18
In 2022, 23.3% of adults delayed care due to lack of providers.
19
Pharmacist shortages affected 40 states with 5,000+ vacancies in 2023.
20
27% of U.S. adults report trouble finding a new primary care provider.
Interpretation
Access to Providers Interpretation
The American healthcare system is a masterpiece of patchwork heroics, stitching together telehealth and urgent care centers to desperately cover the widening gaps left by a critical shortage of doctors, nurses, and specialists across a nation where simply finding timely care is becoming an Olympic event.
02 · Category
Affordability and Costs19 stats
01
In 2022, average annual premiums for employer family coverage reached $16,951,up 3% from 2021.
02
28% of insured adults struggled to afford healthcare costs in 2023, per KFF poll.
03
Out-of-pocket maximums for single coverage averaged $4,100in employer plans in 2023.
04
Prescription drug costs caused 24% of adults to skip medications in 2022 due to high prices.
05
Average family deductible in employer plans was $2,340in 2023, with 17% facing deductibles over $3,000.
06
Medical debt affected 41% of U.S. adults in 2022, totaling $220 billion in collections.
07
25% of insured households spent over 10% of income on healthcare in 2021.
08
Hospital charges for childbirth averaged $13,024without insurance complications in 2022.
09
ACA silver plan premiums averaged $456/month pre-subsidy for a 40-year-old in 2024.
10
14 million Americans with employer insurance had deductibles over $2,000 in 2023.
11
Unexpected medical bills were reported by 47% of adults under 65 in 2022.
12
Average cost-sharing for specialist visits was $49in 2023 employer plans.
13
66% of adults worry about affording unexpected medical bills, per 2023 KFF poll.
14
Insulin prices averaged $300/month out-of-pocket for uninsured in 2022.
15
Emergency room visit costs averaged $2,200without insurance in 2023.
16
Dental care unaffordability led 36 million adults to skip visits in 2022.
17
Average annual premium contribution by workers for family coverage was $6,575in 2023.
18
21% of underinsured adults skipped care due to costs in 2022.
19
Cancer treatment costs averaged $83,000per patient annually without insurance.
Interpretation
Affordability and Costs Interpretation
The American healthcare system is a financially precarious high-wire act where even the insured are perpetually one unexpected bill away from a medical and economic crisis.
03 · Category
Barriers and Disparities19 stats
01
Black Americans were 1.5 times more likely to delay care due to transportation in 2022.
02
Low-income adults (income <100% FPL) had 44% uninsured rate vs. 4% for high-income in 2022.
03
Rural residents faced 20% higher rates of delayed preventive care in 2021.
04
35% of Hispanics reported cost as barrier to regular doctor visits in 2022.
05
Women were 10% more likely than men to forgo needed care due to costs.
06
In non-expansion Medicaid states, 2.3 million adults fell into coverage gap in 2023.
07
50% of uninsured adults cite cost as main reason for being uninsured.
08
AI/AN populations had 2x higher barriers to specialty care access.
09
During Medicaid unwinding, 15 million could lose coverage by 2024, disproportionately poor.
10
18% of adults with disabilities reported access barriers vs. 11% without.
11
Language barriers affected 25% of limited English proficient patients.
12
Elderly in rural areas had 30% higher emergency transport delays.
13
Transgender individuals faced 40% denial rates for gender-affirming care coverage.
14
Food insecurity correlated with 25% higher healthcare access barriers.
15
Gig economy workers had 2.5x uninsured rates, facing employment barriers.
16
During COVID, 40% of low-income skipped care vs. 20% high-income.
17
Mental health stigma led 60% of adults to avoid seeking care.
18
Veterans in rural areas had 50% longer wait times for VA care.
19
In 2022, uninsured hospitalization rates were 3x higher among low-income groups.
Interpretation
Barriers and Disparities Interpretation
The American healthcare system appears to function like an exclusive club with a deliberately confusing maze at the entrance, where your zip code, your bank account, and even your name can determine whether you get lost, turned away, or face a ruinous bill just for seeking basic care.
More related reading
04 · Category
Insurance Coverage10 stats
01
In 2022, 91.6% of the U.S. population had health insurance coverage, totaling approximately 303.6 million people, with private insurance covering 65.6% and public insurance 36.3% including overlaps.
02
Medicaid enrollment reached 80 million people in FY 2022, representing a 22% increase since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic due to continuous enrollment provisions.
03
In 2023, Medicare covered 65.7 million beneficiaries, with 48.8 million enrolled in Original Medicare and 30.8 million in Medicare Advantage plans.
04
Employer-sponsored insurance covered 155.4 million non-elderly adults and children in 2022, accounting for 51% of the under-65 population.
05
ACA Marketplace enrollment hit a record 21.3 million in 2024, with 80% receiving premium tax credits averaging $469 per month savings.
06
TRICARE and other VA health care covered 9.1 million active duty military personnel, retirees, and families in 2022.
07
CHIP enrollment stood at 9.1 million children in FY 2022, providing coverage to low-income kids ineligible for Medicaid.
08
In 2021, 34.2 million people were covered by Medicaid expansion under the ACA in 40 states and DC.
09
Direct primary care subscriptions covered an estimated 1.5 million Americans in 2023, bypassing traditional insurance models.
10
Short-term limited duration insurance plans enrolled about 3 million people in 2022, often as alternatives to ACA plans.
Interpretation
Insurance Coverage Interpretation
While America's health insurance coverage appears robust on paper with 91.6% insured, the reality is a complex patchwork where millions rely on safety-net programs born from crisis, others navigate marketplace subsidies, and a significant portion still depends on the precarious thread of employer-based plans.
05 · Category
Uninsured Rates19 stats
01
In 2022, the uninsured rate for children under 19 was 5.4%, down from 6.0% in 2021, covering 4.0 million uninsured kids.
02
Among nonelderly adults ages 18-64, the uninsured rate was 10.1% in 2022, equating to 26.0 million people.
03
The national uninsured rate dropped to 7.7% in 2023 from 9.2% in 2022, per the latest Census data for all ages.
04
In 2022, 10.6% of Hispanic Americans were uninsured, compared to 6.3% of non-Hispanic whites.
05
Uninsured rate for Black nonelderly adults was 10.8% in 2022, affecting 4.4 million people.
06
Among Asian Americans, the uninsured rate was 7.0% in 2022 for nonelderly population.
07
In Texas, the uninsured rate was 17.5% in 2022, the highest in the nation, covering 5.0 million residents.
08
California had 7.2 million uninsured residents in 2022 despite Medicaid expansion, a 12.1% rate.
09
Uninsured rate for low-income adults (below 138% FPL) was 24.5% in non-expansion states in 2022.
10
Rural areas had an uninsured rate of 11.2% in 2021, higher than urban 8.9%.
11
In 2022, 27.4% of uninsured nonelderly adults went without needed care due to costs.
12
Uninsured rate among undocumented immigrants estimated at 42% in 2022, totaling 7.8 million.
13
For adults ages 26-27, uninsured rate jumped from 25% to 28% after dependent coverage limit ends.
14
In 2023 Q1, Gallup poll showed uninsured rate at 10.4% for adults, up slightly from pandemic lows.
15
Uninsured rate for American Indian/Alaska Native nonelderly was 19.1% in 2022.
16
Florida's uninsured rate was 13.5% in 2022, with 3.0 million uninsured residents.
17
In 2022, 8.3% of women ages 18-64 were uninsured, slightly higher than men's 7.9%.
18
Georgia had the second-highest uninsured rate at 12.7% in 2022.
19
Uninsured rate for part-time workers was 17.1% vs. 5.2% for full-time in 2022.
Interpretation
Uninsured Rates Interpretation
America’s healthcare system has achieved an impressively low national uninsured rate by cleverly averaging in millions of well-covered children with a staggering number of uninsured adults, a gap that predictably widens along the stubborn fault lines of geography, race, income, and employment status.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Stefan Wendt. (2026, February 13). Access To Healthcare In The United States Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/access-to-healthcare-in-the-united-states-statistics
MLA
Stefan Wendt. "Access To Healthcare In The United States Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/access-to-healthcare-in-the-united-states-statistics.
Chicago
Stefan Wendt. 2026. "Access To Healthcare In The United States Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/access-to-healthcare-in-the-united-states-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level