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Health insurance statistics for Americans with disabilities

About 39.6 million people with disabilities have public or private health insurance (and sometimes both). But 2.3 million have no health insurance coverage.

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By

Andrew HurstSenior Editor & Licensed Auto Insurance ExpertAndrew Hurst is a senior editor at Policygenius who has spent his entire career writing about life, disability, home, auto, and health insurance. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Forbes, USA Today, NPR, Mic, Insurance Business Magazine, and Property Casualty 360.

Edited by

Anna SwartzAnna SwartzSenior Managing EditorAnna Swartz is a senior managing editor who specializes in home, auto, renters, and disability insurance at Policygenius. Previously, she was a senior staff writer at Mic and a writer at The Dodo. Her work has also appeared in Salon, HuffPost, MSN, AOL, and Heeb.

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We analyzed health insurance data from the U.S. Census Bureau and found that Americans with disabilities are more likely to have health insurance coverage than those without disabilities. Public health insurance is most common, but many people with disabilities have both private and public coverage. 

If you have an illness or injury that’s temporarily or permanently disabling, disability insurance benefits can help pay for your health insurance premiums, deductibles, rent or mortgage, childcare, and whatever else you need while you’re taking time off work.

Methodology: How we got these numbers

We analyzed data from the 2022 American Community Survey, which is a yearly survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Our data comes from the ACS’s 5-year estimates.

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How many people with a disability have health insurance?

Out of the 42 million people with disabilities in the United States, about 39.6 million have health insurance, according to our analysis of 2022 Census Bureau data. That leaves about 2.3 million Americans with disabilities uninsured (5.6%).

People without disabilities are more likely to be uninsured than their counterparts. Nearly 26 million people without disabilities don’t have health insurance, a 9.1% share.

Have health insurance

Don’t have health insurance

Percent uninsured

Americans with a disability

39,610,052

2,331,404

5.6%

Americans without a disability

258,222,366

25,983,688

9.1%

Source: Policygenius analysis of the 2022 American Community Survey

State-by-state health insurance coverage for residents with disabilities

Health insurance coverage for people with disabilities is different in every state. There are only two states where more than 10% of the population with disabilities is uninsured (Texas and Oklahoma).

Have health insurance

Don’t have health insurance

Percent uninsured

Alabama

740,677

60,169

7.5%

Alaska

82,325

6,669

7.5%

Arizona

886,461

56,492

6.0%

Arkansas

497,973

25,306

4.8%

California

4,104,711

170,447

4.0%

Colorado

594,449

30,999

5.0%

Connecticut

401,636

12,633

3.0%

Delaware

130,122

3,802

2.8%

District of Columbia

70,612

2,047

2.8%

Florida

2,672,014

203,487

7.1%

Georgia

1,209,957

126,688

9.5%

Hawaii

163,280

4,136

2.5%

Idaho

234,062

17,139

6.8%

Illinois

1,393,011

62,881

4.3%

Indiana

871,452

45,113

4.9%

Iowa

371,323

10,840

2.8%

Kansas

354,897

31,157

8.1%

Kentucky

753,233

24,733

3.2%

Louisiana

686,492

31,420

4.4%

Maine

203,761

9,485

4.4%

Maryland

664,461

21,783

3.2%

Massachusetts

807,158

13,367

1.6%

Michigan

1,360,830

42,368

3.0%

Minnesota

607,779

22,749

3.6%

Mississippi

452,077

44,002

8.9%

Missouri

809,484

67,006

7.6%

Montana

144,936

6,516

4.3%

Nebraska

215,397

15,816

6.8%

Nevada

370,181

25,712

6.5%

New Hampshire

169,523

6,509

3.7%

New Jersey

924,135

41,904

4.3%

New Mexico

323,245

15,267

4.5%

New York

2,292,365

62,754

2.7%

North Carolina

1,268,330

99,187

7.3%

North Dakota

81,223

5,174

6.0%

Ohio

1,567,405

68,486

4.2%

Oklahoma

574,587

69,881

10.8%

Oregon

600,219

24,857

4.0%

Pennsylvania

1,737,112

62,205

3.5%

Rhode Island

141,376

3,655

2.5%

South Carolina

666,135

55,865

7.7%

South Dakota

96,493

7,721

7.4%

Tennessee

960,864

82,463

7.9%

Texas

2,981,266

377,116

11.2%

Utah

306,420

20,758

6.3%

Vermont

89,549

2,644

2.9%

Virginia

965,559

51,455

5.1%

Washington

946,722

38,933

3.9%

West Virginia

324,863

11,073

3.3%

Wisconsin

667,106

22,433

3.3%

Wyoming

70,804

6,102

7.9%

Collapse table

Source: Policygenius analysis of the 2022 American Community Survey

At the same time there are 14 states where more than 10% of the population without disabilities is uninsured: Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Mississippi, Alaska, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, both Carolinas, New Mexico, and Tennessee.

Types of health insurance for people with disabilities by state

People with disabilities are more likely to have public rather than private health insurance — though about 11.7 million many have both. There are 30.5 million people with disabilities with a public health insurance plan, and 20.8 million with a private plan (59.5%). 

The ratio of public to private plans is highest in New Mexico, where public health insurance makes up 65.8% of total plans for residents with disabilities.

Qualifying for Medicare with a disability

You may be able to qualify for Medicare if you have a disability, even if you’re not 65 yet. If you receive disability benefits from Social Security for twenty-four months, you will automatically get Medicare.

Have private health insurance

Have public health insurance

Percent with public health insurance

Alabama

408,430

574,352

58.4%

Alaska

44,290

62,090

58.4%

Arizona

459,300

689,950

60.0%

Arkansas

222,710

409,661

64.8%

California

1,906,303

3,221,211

62.8%

Colorado

333,296

434,972

56.6%

Connecticut

204,800

309,217

60.2%

Delaware

76,912

100,565

56.7%

District of Columbia

32,947

55,688

62.8%

Florida

1,350,520

2,108,004

61.0%

Georgia

657,889

906,589

57.9%

Hawaii

103,940

126,357

54.9%

Idaho

133,745

177,103

57.0%

Illinois

750,413

1,047,539

58.3%

Indiana

463,523

662,076

58.8%

Iowa

206,942

287,999

58.2%

Kansas

217,417

255,491

54.0%

Kentucky

352,814

610,727

63.4%

Louisiana

307,088

556,457

64.4%

Maine

106,077

163,556

60.7%

Maryland

398,794

491,070

55.2%

Massachusetts

422,283

630,146

59.9%

Michigan

757,243

1,077,117

58.7%

Minnesota

352,174

462,071

56.7%

Mississippi

215,024

358,730

62.5%

Missouri

431,822

613,751

58.7%

Montana

78,838

114,558

59.2%

Nebraska

129,885

156,882

54.7%

Nevada

190,735

279,828

59.5%

New Hampshire

99,612

124,928

55.6%

New Jersey

514,008

699,906

57.7%

New Mexico

141,621

272,089

65.8%

New York

1,119,905

1,839,240

62.2%

North Carolina

690,929

983,616

58.7%

North Dakota

52,514

57,824

52.4%

Ohio

779,629

1,228,100

61.2%

Oklahoma

323,581

431,597

57.2%

Oregon

311,154

467,855

60.1%

Pennsylvania

946,315

1,377,373

59.3%

Rhode Island

67,940

109,715

61.8%

South Carolina

361,001

527,015

59.3%

South Dakota

57,059

71,900

55.8%

Tennessee

501,754

749,145

59.9%

Texas

1,605,944

2,162,967

57.4%

Utah

201,695

189,622

48.5%

Vermont

45,446

71,797

61.2%

Virginia

574,358

710,468

55.3%

Washington

532,475

713,778

57.3%

West Virginia

160,328

272,341

62.9%

Wisconsin

373,128

514,273

58.0%

Wyoming

42,940

52,015

54.8%

Collapse table

Source: Policygenius analysis of the 2022 American Community Survey

Combining disability insurance and health insurance

Health insurance is different from disability insurance, but that doesn’t mean they can’t work together. Health insurance covers the cost of medical care and doesn’t pay you directly, while disability insurance pays direct benefits if you can’t work because of an injury or illness.

You can cover your out-of-pocket health insurance costs — like premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, out-of-network care, and more — using the benefit payments from your disability insurance, but, since your benefits replace your income, you can also use the money for whatever else you need while you can’t work, like groceries, childcare, rent, or transportation.

Disability insurance isn’t mandatory like health insurance is, but it’s worth having. Benefit payments can replace between 60% and 80% of your income, but consider getting your own policy rather than relying only on the coverage you get through work.

Read more about how disability insurance works

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Author

Andrew Hurst is a senior editor at Policygenius who has spent his entire career writing about life, disability, home, auto, and health insurance. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Forbes, USA Today, NPR, Mic, Insurance Business Magazine, and Property Casualty 360.

Editor

Anna Swartz is a senior managing editor who specializes in home, auto, renters, and disability insurance at Policygenius. Previously, she was a senior staff writer at Mic and a writer at The Dodo. Her work has also appeared in Salon, HuffPost, MSN, AOL, and Heeb.

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