The number of uninsured Americans rose across 18 states and Washington, D.C. in 2024, but North Carolina wasn't one of them, according to the 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates published Thursday morning.
The working age population (19 to 64) in the state without health insurance decreased by 1.2% last year, which was a statistically significant reduction, Census analysts reported.
North Carolina was the only state besides California to increase their Medicaid coverage in 2024 from the year before, notably due to these states' Medicaid expansion, U.S. Census analysts reported.
Medicaid expansion rose by 1% in the state last year, which was also denoted as a statistically significant increase.
Nathan Dollar, director of Carolina Demography, said this bodes well for the economy.
"It's likely that people are going to be healthier," said Dollar. "They're going to be at work more. There's going to be fewer days out of work, fewer days missed from school, which makes people more productive in the economy and live happier and healthier lives."
However, Dollar believes the future of the state's insured population is uncertain due to impending Medicaid cuts following passage of a federal budget bill.
"We saw the largest declines of uninsured rates of working U.S. adults than any state," said Dollar. "Between 2023 and 2024, more working age adults were insured in North Carolina, and that has got to be because of Medicaid expansion."
More income inequality in NC
The 2024 ACS 1-year estimates also found that income inequality increased in North Carolina. The state scored 0.478 on the Gini index, a summary measure of income equality ranging from 0 to 1.
A Gini index of 1.0 indicates perfect inequality, where one household has all the income, according to the Census.
The percentage increase of 1.1% was considered a statistically significant change. However, Dollar said it’s too early to know the exact reasons for the increase in income inequality without a deeper review of the survey’s data.
