Report correlates high rates of uninsured population with higher coronavirus infections and Covid-19 deaths

In communities with high rates of uninsured people, residents are much more likely to get the coronavirus and die from it than those in communities with fewer uninsured residents, according to a new Families USA report, "The Catastrophic Cost of Uninsurance: Covid-19 Cases and Deaths Closely Tied to America's Health Coverage Gaps."

Some top findings of the report:

• From the start of the pandemic through the end of August, every 10 percent increase in the proportion of a county's residents who lacked health insurance correlated with a 70% increase in coronavirus cases and a 48% increase in Covid-19 deaths.
• Nationwide, more than 40% of Covid-19 infections and about 30% of Covid-19 deaths are linked to health-insurance gaps.
• During the period studied, health-insurance gaps were linked to about 2.6 million Covid-19 cases and 58,000 Covid-19 deaths. 
• If the same correlation between health insurance and Covid-19 remained unchanged until after the period covered in the study, then by Feb. 1, 2021, health-insurance gaps would be associated with an estimated 10.9 million Covid-19 infections and 143,000 Covid-19 deaths.
• In 2019, nearly 30 million Americans under age 65 were uninsured; that number has grown an estimated 15.3 million during the pandemic because of job losses.
• Non-white Americans were nearly twice as likely as white Americans to lose health insurance, and Latinos were three times as likely.
• All states saw an increase in Medicaid enrollment during the pandemic.
• In 11 states, Covid-19 cases linked to health-insurance gaps comprised at least 50% of the state's total Covid-19 infections during the period studied.
• In 10 states, health-insurance gaps were linked to at least 40% of the state's Covid-19 deaths.
• Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, and Georgia led both lists, in order from highest percentage to lowest.