To shore up an economy and health system battered during the COVID-19-induced recession, the U.S. Congress passed four major relief bills in 2020 and 2021. The Biden administration also made a number of administrative changes, including some aimed at helping people enroll in health insurance coverage.

After a year of severe job market disruption combined with a massive federal pandemic relief effort, what is the state of health care coverage and affordability in the United States?
To answer these and related questions, the survey research firm SSRS interviewed a random, nationally representative sample of 5,450 adults ages 19 to 64 from March 9 through June 8, 2021. This brief reports on the survey’s findings about current uninsured rates, pandemic-related coverage loss, and Americans’ ongoing struggles to pay their medical bills.