Recent data from the Census Bureau shows that the percentage of Arizonans with health insurance rose from 89.3% in 2021 to 89.7% in 2022. While that is an improvement, the state still lags slightly behind the nation, where coverage rose 0.7% from 91.3% of Americans insured to 92% in that period.
Nationally, anywhere from 8 million to 24 million Americans could lose coverage, according to estimates by KFF, the nonprofit formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation. Analysts said the drop in health insurance could be worse, but is likely being propped up by the current high levels of employment. Arizona’s unemployment rate has hovered near historic lows of 3.5% for much of this year, and stood at an estimated 3.8% in August, the most recent month for which numbers are available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Derksen said that many people lost their health insurance when they lost their jobs during the pandemic, which is where the expansion of Medicaid helped.