Dallas County is one of the least insured in the country, according to a new study from SmartAsset. Only 75% of Dallas County residents under 65 are insured, reportedly.
There's no doubt that being insured often comes with a high price. In 2024, the average annual premium was $9,000 for a single individual and $25,500 for a four-person family. Employer-provided plans can cut these costs, placing most of the burdens on companies, but health insurance is still a financial concern for most Americans.
According to Reuters, employers anticipated health insurance costs to rise an average of 5.8% in 2025. It was the third consecutive year that costs were projected to rise more than 5%.
The necessity and accessibility of health insurance are among the most hotly debated topics in America, and the health care system is commonly criticized by both sides of the political spectrum. According to the report, for those under 65 without pre-existing conditions, health insurance can often seem like an unnecessary monthly expenditure that has value only in emergencies. And the rising costs of insurance are likely causing fewer people to seek coverage.
In 2023, 22.54% of Dallas County was uninsured, according to the report. The number rose to 24.15% by 2024; 14.88% of children under 19 were uninsured.
In 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which greatly expanded health insurance coverage and offered insurance accessibility to millions who had not been able to afford it. Certain subsidies offered by the Affordable Care Act will expire at the end of 2025, and when they do millions of people will be at risk of losing their health insurance. The incoming president, Donald Trump, and Congress are responsible for extending the plan, but Trump and many Republican lawmakers are outspoken critics of the Affordable Care Act.
“Obamacare was lousy health care. Always was. It’s not very good today,” Trump said while on the campaign trail prior to the Nov. 5 election. “And what I said, that if we come up with something, and we are working on things, we’re going to do it and we’re going to replace it.”
In an op-ed penned by outspoken U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, representing Central Texas, the conservative politician described the American health care system a “giant scam”.
Tensions surrounding health insurance costs reached a head in December, when UnitedHealthcare CEO Bryan Thompson was shot and killed in a planned attack on the streets of New York City. The shooting, perpetrated by a young man disappointed with the conditions of the health care system, divided the nation.
As large as the percentage of uninsured in Dallas County is, there are other counties in the state with similar or even higher percentages. The most populous county in Texas, Harris County, for example, has less than one percent fewer uninsured people than Dallas County. In Cameron County, along the Mexico border, 30% of the population under the age of 65 are uninsured.
