Census Report: Texas Has Worst Uninsured Rate in the US
For Immediate Release
Contact: Peter Clark, [email protected]
Advocates Urge State Leaders to Improve Access to Health Coverage as Texans Struggle with the High Cost of Health Care
Austin - New data released today by the Trump administration’s U.S. Census Bureau show that Texas had the nation’s highest rate of residents going without health insurance in 2025. The state’s overall uninsured rate was 16.5%, nearly double the national rate of 8.4%. The report found that last year 21.8% of Texas adults age 19–64 and 13.0% of Texas children did not have health coverage.
“This report should be a wake-up call for Texas leaders,” said Diana Forester, Director of Health Policy for Texans Care for Children. “When Texans have health insurance, they have a much better shot at catching cancer before it spreads. Moms are more likely to have a healthy pregnancy. Kids are able to go to the pediatrician for check-ups or to get help when they’re home sick from school.”
The Census report shows Texas had 5,163,000 uninsured residents last year, eclipsing every other state. About one million Texas kids did not have health coverage in 2025.
According to the Census data, the overall Texas uninsured rate of 16.5% was much worse than the rates in nearby states, including New Mexico (10.5%), Arizona (11.8%), Oklahoma (12.6%), Louisiana (8.1%), and Arkansas (9.1%).
Analysts expect the state’s uninsured rate to rise in 2026 since Congress did not renew the enhanced advanced premium tax credits (EAPTCs) that millions of Americans relied on for affordable insurance through HealthCare.gov. Over 850,000 Texans dropped Marketplace health insurance at the start of 2026 because it was not as affordable as it had been with EAPTCs.
It’s also becoming more difficult for eligible Texans to enroll in Medicaid health insurance in a timely manner. In July 2026, 282,000 fewer Texans had Medicaid insurance compared to one year earlier. Texans applying for Medicaid are facing long delays to enroll in the program, with 238,000 applications stuck in the state’s backlog, according to the most recent data.
“By passing laws that increase our state’s uninsured rate, federal and state lawmakers are making doctors appointments, medications, and mental health counseling harder to get and more expensive for everyone,” said Lynn Cowles, Director of Health and Food Justice at Every Texan. “Texans deserve representatives who will stop stepping over dollars to pick up dimes and use data-driven solutions that will save taxpayer dollars and improve health for all Texans.”
Advocates are urging state leaders to ensure that Texans who are currently eligible for Medicaid health insurance are able to enroll in an efficient, timely manner. Health care groups have also called on the Legislature to implement Medicaid expansion, which would provide an insurance option to adults with low incomes. Currently, Medicaid in Texas is largely limited to low-income children, pregnant and postpartum women, people with disabilities, and low-income seniors.
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