Tag Archives: uninsured

The Mystery of How Many People Are on Medicaid

By | July 24, 2025

If you have been following the debate about Medicaid cuts, you know it’s a giant program, America’s largest in terms of the number of people it covers. But you may be confused about how many people Medicaid actually covers. Is it 71 million Americans, the number most commonly used in The New York Times and… Read More »

Options for Universal Coverage: Part 2 – Eligibility and Enrollment

In this series on options for universal coverage, we explore elements of various reform proposals and evaluate their potential impact. Rather than examining complete proposals, we highlight specific policy elements that appear in one or more such proposals. The three we focus on in this series are: Part 1 – Eliminating Medicare Advantage (May 14,… Read More »

Options for Universal Coverage: Part 1 – Public vs. Private Provision

With the 2020 US presidential election drawing near, debate about the options for universal coverage will ramp up. At the heart of this debate is the estimated 45% of US adults who are either uninsured or under-insured. They are at risk of experiencing financial hardship or going without needed care in a time when access to… Read More »

Universal Health Coverage? A Response

In a recent Health Affairs blog post, Universal Health Coverage? Why?, Walter McClure, Alain Enthoven, and Tim McDonald make a convincing case for expanding health insurance coverage in the United States. They argue that universal coverage is a “wise public investment” that “expands the workforce and makes it more productive,” similar to universal public education.… Read More »