uninsured

Uninsured refers to individuals who do not have any health insurance coverage at a given time. This includes people with no coverage at all, as well as those whose coverage is insufficient or not active. In health policy discussions, the term describes gaps in access to affordable care and is used to distinguish from the insured and the underinsured.

In countries without universal health coverage, the uninsured are a defining policy concern. In the United States, the uninsured population consists of people who lack any health plan and may face high out-of-pocket costs when they seek care. Insurance status can change with employment, income, immigration status, and policy changes.

Causes include unemployment or underemployment, unaffordable premiums or deductibles, aging out of a parent's plan, ineligibility for public programs, and policy changes that reduce or restrict eligibility.

Consequences include delayed or foregone care, reduced access to preventive services, reliance on emergency departments, financial burdens from medical debt, and worse health outcomes for some groups.

Policy responses often aim to reduce the uninsured rate through public programs, subsidies, or mandatory coverage, and to expand safety-net services like community health centers.

Because coverage gaps vary by country and region, the size and experiences of the uninsured population differ accordingly.