Even with 2023 Medicaid enrollment reaching 81 million Americans, access to care still hits people unevenly, and the strain shows up in emergency rooms and delayed visits. In 2022, 8.0% of the US population was uninsured, but that figure climbs sharply for groups like Hispanics and low income households. Here’s how costs, insurance gaps, and geography add up across the system, and why some of the biggest disparities show no signs of shrinking.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, 8% of US non-elderly adults uninsured, with Blacks at 10.8%, Hispanics 17.3%
- Women in US 13% more likely than men to have unmet care needs due to access in 2021
- Rural US adults 20% less likely to have mammograms than urban, 2022 data
- In 2022, cost barriers prevented 41 million US working-age adults from care
- Average US family premium: $16,851 in 2023, up 7% yearly
- 25% of insured US adults have deductibles >$3,000, delaying care in 2023
- In 2022, US ER visit rate for preventable conditions was 248 per 10,000 uninsured adults
- Average US ER wait time: 2.25 hours in 2021, up 25% from 2019
- 28% of US ER visits are for non-urgent issues due to lack of primary care, 2022 data
- In 2022, 8.0% of the U.S. population, or 26.4 million people, were uninsured at the time of the survey, down from 9.2% in 2021
- As of 2021, 91.4% of children under 19 in the US had health insurance coverage, with Medicaid/CHIP covering 40.5%
- In 2023, Medicaid enrollment reached 81 million Americans, representing about 25% of the US population
- Only 12% of US physician visits for low-income adults are covered by Medicaid in 2021
- 89% of US adults had a usual source of primary care in 2022, but only 75% for uninsured
- Rural US residents travel 20% farther on average for primary care physicians, 10.5 miles vs. 3.8 urban
Despite wider coverage, millions still face cost and access barriers to timely care, especially in rural and low income communities.
Related reading
01 · Category
Disparities By Demographics20 stats
01
In 2022, 8% of US non-elderly adults uninsured, with Blacks at 10.8%, Hispanics 17.3%
02
Women in US 13% more likely than men to have unmet care needs due to access in 2021
03
Rural US adults 20% less likely to have mammograms than urban, 2022 data
04
Low-income US households (<100% FPL) have 4x higher uninsured rates, 25.5% in 2022
05
Elderly US (65+) have 99% coverage vs. 85% for 18-64 year olds
06
Indigenous Australians have 2.5x hospitalization rates but poorer access
07
In Canada, immigrants 1.5x more likely to lack family physician, 2023
08
India's rural women 30% less likely to access antenatal care than urban
09
In Brazil, Northeast region has 40% lower doctor density than South
10
Sub-Saharan women/girls 50% less access to health services than men, WHO 2021
11
US veterans 12% higher suicide risk due to mental health access gaps, 2022
12
In EU, Roma communities have 63% lower health service utilization
13
Germany's migrants 2x more likely to forgo care due to language barriers
14
France elderly rural 25% less GP visits than urban peers, 2022
15
Japan urban elderly 15% more hospital admissions than rural due to access
16
UK ethnic minorities 2-3x higher unmet dental needs, 2023
17
South Korea low-income 30% less preventive screening rates
18
In US, Asian Americans 8.5% uninsured, lower than average but language barriers persist
19
Native American/Alaska Native US uninsured rate 19.1% in 2022
20
2023 global index shows gender disparity in health access highest in low-income countries at 25%
Interpretation
Disparities By Demographics Interpretation
In the disparities by demographics data, uninsured rates are sharply higher for certain groups such as Hispanics at 17.3% and low income households at 25.5% in 2022, while other differences like women being 13% more likely than men to have unmet care needs in 2021 and rural adults being 20% less likely to get mammograms show how access gaps persist across multiple demographic lines.
02 · Category
Economic Barriers22 stats
01
In 2022, cost barriers prevented 41 million US working-age adults from care
02
Average US family premium: $16,851in 2023, up 7% yearly
03
25% of insured US adults have deductibles >$3,000, delaying care in 2023
04
Out-of-pocket spending averages $1,514per US capita in 2022
05
In low-income countries, 100 million pushed into poverty yearly by health costs, WHO 2021
06
India OOP health expenditure: 55% of total health spending in 2022
07
US medical debt affects 41% of adults, $88 billion total in collections 2022
08
Europe's OOP averages 14% of health spend, highest in Switzerland at 26%, 2022 OECD
09
In Nigeria, 70% of health costs OOP, leading to 15% catastrophic expenditure
10
Canada drug costs OOP average CAD 1,200 yearly for seniors 2023
11
Australia's PBS subsidizes 90% of scripts, OOP $7-40 per item 2022
12
Brazil OOP 28% of health expenditure despite SUS, 2021 data
13
47% of US adults cut food spending for medical bills in 2023
14
High-deductible plans cover 29% of US workers, average $2,000 individual deductible 2023
15
In Germany, co-pays cap at 2% of income for chronic illness, 2022
16
France 100% coverage for low-income, but 10% OOP average 2022
17
Japan co-pays 30% for working age, capped at 80,000 yen/month 2023
18
UK prescription charges £9.65 England only, exemptions 90%, 2023
19
South Korea co-pay 20-60% depending on income, 2022 average OOP 20%
20
US surprise billing affected 17 million ER visits pre-2022 No Surprises Act
21
Globally, 1 billion face catastrophic health spending yearly
22
In 2023, 66% of US adults concerned about affording unexpected medical bills
Interpretation
Economic Barriers Interpretation
Economic barriers to healthcare are becoming harder to overcome as costs keep rising, with 41 million US working age adults blocked from care in 2022 and out of pocket spending averaging $1,514 per capita in 2022 while 25% of insured adults face deductibles above $3,000 and low income countries continue to push 100 million people into poverty each year from health expenses.
03 · Category
Emergency And Hospital Access25 stats
01
In 2022, US ER visit rate for preventable conditions was 248 per 10,000 uninsured adults
02
Average US ER wait time: 2.25 hours in 2021, up 25% from 2019
03
28% of US ER visits are for non-urgent issues due to lack of primary care, 2022 data
04
Hospital bed occupancy in US: 65% average in 2023
05
In 2023, 1 in 5 US hospitals operate at negative margins, limiting access
06
Global ambulance response time average: 8-12 minutes in urban areas per WHO 2022
07
In India, 65% of population travels >10km for hospital access
08
US rural hospitals: 140 closures since 2010, reducing ER access for 3.4M
09
Canada ER wait times averaged 27.4 minutes for CTAS Level 3 in 2022
10
Australia's hospital admission rate: 295 per 1,000 population in 2022
11
In Brazil, SUS hospitals serve 160 million with 400,000 beds in 2023
12
Sub-Saharan hospital beds per 1,000: 1.0 vs. global 2.9 in 2021
13
55 million US hospital admissions in 2022, with uninsured 7% of cases
14
ICU bed availability in US: 92,000 total, 68% occupancy pre-COVID baseline
15
In Germany, average hospital stay length: 7.8 days in 2022
16
France ER overcrowding affects 20% of departments daily in 2023
17
Japan hospital beds per 1,000: 13.1, highest globally in 2021
18
UK NHS A&E waits: 7.2% over 12 hours for admission in 2023
19
South Korea hospital admissions: 16.5 per 100 population annually 2022
20
Uninsured US adults 2.7x more likely to delay ER visits, 2022 data
21
In 2023, 19% of US adults skipped ER care due to cost
22
Rural US ambulance response time: 15 minutes vs. 9 urban in 2022
23
In 2021, Black US patients waited 28% longer in ERs than whites
24
2022 US pediatric ER closure rate up 10% due to staffing shortages
25
Globally, 50 million die yearly from lack of emergency surgical access
Interpretation
Emergency And Hospital Access Interpretation
Emergency and hospital access is under real strain, with US ER wait times rising to 2.25 hours in 2021 and 28% of ER visits for non urgent issues because of limited primary care, alongside 65% average hospital bed occupancy in 2023 and 1 in 5 hospitals operating at negative margins.
More related reading
04 · Category
Insurance Coverage30 stats
01
In 2022, 8.0% of the U.S. population, or 26.4 million people, were uninsured at the time of the survey, down from 9.2% in 2021
02
As of 2021, 91.4% of children under 19 in the US had health insurance coverage, with Medicaid/CHIP covering 40.5%
03
In 2023, Medicaid enrollment reached 81 million Americans, representing about 25% of the US population
04
93% of US adults had health insurance in 2022, but 7% or 18 million remained uninsured
05
In low-income countries, only 41% of the population had access to essential health services in 2019
06
Globally, 3.5 billion people lack access to basic health services due to lack of coverage, per 2021 WHO data
07
In the EU, 92% of the population had health insurance coverage in 2021
08
India's Ayushman Bharat scheme covered 500 million people by 2023, providing cashless insurance up to INR 500,000
09
In Brazil, 75% of the population relies on the public SUS system for universal coverage since 1988
10
Sub-Saharan Africa has an average health insurance coverage rate of 20% as of 2022
11
In Canada, 99.9% of the population has public health insurance coverage provincially administered
12
Australia's Medicare covers 99% of citizens with universal public insurance since 1984
13
In 2022, 14.5 million Americans gained Medicaid coverage due to continuous enrollment during COVID-19
14
Employer-sponsored insurance covered 153.5 million non-elderly Americans in 2022
15
Marketplace enrollment under ACA reached 16.3 million in 2023
16
Medicare covered 65.2 million beneficiaries in 2023, with 48.7 million elderly and 8.3 million disabled
17
TRICARE covers 9.4 million active duty and retiree military families in 2022
18
VA health care serves 9.2 million veterans annually as of 2023
19
In Japan, 99.9% of the population is covered by statutory health insurance
20
Germany's statutory health insurance covers 90% of the population with 11 sickness funds
21
In South Korea, National Health Insurance covers 97% of the population since 1989
22
France's universal coverage system insures 99% through statutory schemes
23
In the UK, NHS provides universal coverage to 99% of the population free at point of use
24
In 2021, uninsured rates for US Hispanics were 18.3%, compared to 6.3% for non-Hispanic whites
25
Black Americans had an uninsured rate of 10.8% in 2022
26
In rural US areas, uninsured rates are 12% higher than urban areas per 2021 data
27
45% of uninsured US adults cite cost as the main reason in 2023 surveys
28
In 2022, 50 million Americans delayed care due to coverage gaps
29
Globally, 1.6 billion people lack legal identity for insurance enrollment per World Bank 2022
30
In 2023, CHIP covered 9 million low-income children in the US
Interpretation
Insurance Coverage Interpretation
Despite improvements in the United States, where the uninsured rate fell to 8.0% in 2022 from 9.2% in 2021, roughly 26.4 million people still lack health insurance coverage, while globally billions remain uncovered with 3.5 billion people lacking access to basic health services due to lack of coverage.
05 · Category
Primary Care Access22 stats
01
Only 12% of US physician visits for low-income adults are covered by Medicaid in 2021
02
89% of US adults had a usual source of primary care in 2022, but only 75% for uninsured
03
Rural US residents travel 20% farther on average for primary care physicians, 10.5 miles vs. 3.8 urban
04
In 2023, 65 million Americans live in primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs)
05
US primary care physicians per 100,000 population: 84.4 in 2021, below OECD average of 92
06
24% of US adults skipped preventive care in 2022 due to access issues
07
In England, average wait for GP appointment is 14.9 days in 2023
08
Globally, 4.5 billion people lack access to fully functioning primary health care services per WHO 2023
09
In India, 70% of rural population lacks access to primary care within 5km
10
US adults with primary care source: 94% insured vs. 49% uninsured in 2021 NHIS
11
Nurse practitioners provide 25% of primary care visits in rural US areas 2022
12
In Canada, 6.5 million people lack a family doctor in 2023
13
Australia's GP visits per capita: 6.2 annually in 2022
14
In Brazil, Family Health Strategy covers 70% of population with primary teams
15
Sub-Saharan Africa primary care facilities per 10,000: 1.2 in 2021
16
37% of US low-income adults report difficulty finding primary care provider in 2023
17
Telehealth primary care visits surged to 20% of total US visits in 2022
18
In Germany, 97% of population has access to primary care within 30 minutes drive
19
France primary care consultations average 6.8 per person yearly in 2022
20
Japan has 2.5 primary care doctors per 1,000 people in 2021
21
In the UK, 42% of GPs turned away patients in 2023 due to capacity
22
South Korea primary care utilization: 15.2 visits per capita annually 2022
Interpretation
Primary Care Access Interpretation
Despite most Americans having a usual source of primary care, 65 million people live in primary care HPSAs and 24% skipped preventive care in 2022 due to access issues, underscoring that primary care access gaps remain widespread.
report visual · Breakdown
Healthcare access gaps: coverage and unmet needs
Uninsured and underserved groups face markedly higher access barriers—ranging from higher uninsured rates to greater unmet care needs and delayed care.
8%
In 2022, 8% of US non-elderly adults uninsured, with Blacks at 10.8%, Hispanics 17.3%
92%
In the EU, 92% of the population had health insurance coverage in 2021
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). Access To Healthcare Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/access-to-healthcare-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "Access To Healthcare Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/access-to-healthcare-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "Access To Healthcare Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/access-to-healthcare-statistics.
Sources & references
51 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level