Profile of Virginia’s Uninsured

The Virginia Health Care Foundation’s Profile of Virginia’s Uninsured  provides a detailed picture of the Commonwealth’s uninsured, using 2021 US Census data. The Profile includes slides and detailed tables describing the uninsured who are income-eligible for Medicaid/FAMIS.

Due to issues affecting the typically robust collection of the US Census during the pandemic in 2020, the Urban Institute used the 2021 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS-ASEC) for this year’s analysis, instead of the American Community Survey as in past years. As a result, it is not possible to compare the data in the 2022 Profile with previous Profiles of Virginia’s Uninsured. Instead, Urban provides Virginia CPS-ASEC data for 2017 – 2021, showing trends over the 5-year period.

  • 6.5% of Virginians under age 65 were without health insurance – 455,000 uninsured Virginians.
  • 8.2% of Virginians ages 19 to 64 years of age had no health insurance — 415,000 non-elderly adult Virginians.
  • About a third (32.9%, 150,000) of all uninsured Virginians under age 65 lived in households below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
  • Of the 41,000 children in Virginia without health insurance, 31,000 are income-eligible for Medicaid/FAMIS, representing 75.6% of all uninsured Virginia children.
  • Many uninsured Virginians were part of working families (62.2%) — nearly 40% with at least one full time worker (39.8%).
  • Uninsured Virginians under age 65 represented every population in Virginia: 40.4% are white non-Hispanic, 21.9% are African American/Black, 29.5% are Hispanic, and 7.5% are Asian/Pacific Islander.
  • From 2017 to 2021, there was a 327,000 drop in the number of nonelderly uninsured Virginians of all incomes.
  • From 2017 – 2021, there was a 205,000 decrease in the number of nonelderly, uninsured adults with household incomes ≤138% (income eligibility for Medicaid expansion).
  • From 2017 – 2021, there was a decrease of 56,000 uninsured children living in households earning ≤205% FPL.

For a thorough examination of the demographic characteristics of Virginia’s uninsured, see:

e cite the Foundation and Urban Institute when using data from the Profile of Virginia’s Uninsured. When using PowerPoint slides from the Profile, please use the complete slide using notes and citations from the Urban Institute. Please also indicate these data cannot be compared to previous Profiles of Virginia’s Uninsured as the 2022 Profile draws from the 2021 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS-ASEC), instead of the American Community Survey as in past years. 

What is the impact of being uninsured?

  • Health suffers severely: Uninsured Americans have lower cancer survival rates, a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with diseases at later stages (including cancer), a far lower rate of receiving important screening tests, and are more likely to have preventable hospitalizations. (Source:  Kaiser Family Foundation, 2020)
  • Do not receive the care they need: Uninsured adults in Virginia are much less likely than insured adults to receive care or to have a usual source for health care, and are more likely to have unmet health needs. (Source:  Profile of Virginia’s Uninsured)
  • Medical needs are unmet: About 40% of uninsured adult Virginians had an unmet need for care in the last year because of the financial difficulty of paying for health care (36.6%).
  • Financial Implications Can Be Significant: More than half of the uninsured in the U.S. report difficulties paying their medical bills and about 50% of unpaid medical bills of the uninsured go into collection. (Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2017). And, most uninsured patients do not get free or reduced cost care. (Source:  Kaiser Family Foundation, 2020).
  • Children with health insurance have better health and educational outcomes: Children who are uninsured do not have a usual source of health care and are less likely to graduate from high school. Health coverage provides children access to needed care and promotes improved health, education, and financial success over the long-term. (Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2017)

The Profile of Virginia’s Uninsured  was prepared for the Virginia Health Care Foundation by the Urban Institute and completed in May 2022. For more information on the study, methodology or results, contact VHCF at 804/828-5804 or dkonrad@vhcf.org.

Last Updated on June 23, 2022