Black uninsured rate continues to fall under Biden

Two years ago, we noted that President Joe Biden had kept his promise to reduce the health uninsured rate for Black Americans, at least in the first year of his presidency, 2021. A look at the end of his term shows that the rate kept dropping in 2022 and 2023.

Census Bureau data shows the uninsured rate for Black Americans has been lower in each of Biden's first three years in office than in any of the years under his predecessor, and now successor, President-elect Donald Trump.

The lowest level under Trump — 9.3% — came during his first year in office, 2017. Under Biden, the rates were 9%, 8.3% and 8.1% in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. (Data for 2024 is not available yet.)

Census Bureau definitions allow for several ways to determine who counts as Black, but for this promise analysis, we'll use the bureau's "Black alone" category, which excludes people who identify with additional racial categories.

Biden moved to extend the enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act during the coronavirus pandemic and invested $500 million in outreach efforts to potential customers for health insurance under the acts.

With the uninsured rate for Black Americans falling for three consecutive years, this remains a Promise Kept.