QuickStats: Percentage* of Adults Aged 18–64 Years Who Used Telemedicine in the Past 12 Months,† by Sex and Health Insurance Coverage§ — National Health Interview Survey, United States 2021¶
Weekly / March 3, 2023 / 72(9);244
* With 95% CIs indicated by error bars.
† Based on a positive response to the question, “In the past 12 months, have you had an appointment with a doctor, nurse, or other health professional by video or phone?”
§ Health insurance coverage is based on reported status at the time of interview. Private insurance includes plans obtained through an employer, purchased directly, and received through local and community programs. Public coverage includes Medicaid or other state-sponsored health plans among adults without private insurance. In addition to adults without coverage, uninsured includes a very small percentage of adults who only have Indian Health Service coverage or a private plan that paid for only one type of service. Total includes other types of health insurance coverage not shown separately.
¶ Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population.
Overall, in 2021, 35.3% of adults aged 18–64 years had a telemedicine visit with a health care professional in the past 12 months. The percentage was higher among women than men overall (41.7% versus 28.8%). Women were also more likely than were men to have had a telemedicine visit among those with private health insurance (44.4% versus 30.5%), Medicaid or other public coverage (42.4% versus 34.3%), and those who were uninsured (19.5% versus 9.8%). Adults with private health insurance (37.5%) or Medicaid or other public coverage (39.3%) were more likely to use telemedicine compared with uninsured adults (14.0%), and this pattern was seen for women and men.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm
Reported by: Jacqueline Lucas, MPH, jbw4@cdc.gov; Maria Villarroel, PhD; Robin Cohen, PhD.
Suggested citation for this article: QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged 18–64 Years Who Used Telemedicine in the Past 12 Months, by Sex and Health Insurance Coverage — National Health Interview Survey, United States 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:244. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7209a5.
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