US Uninsured Rate Inches Up

After dropping dramatically with passage of the Affordable Care Act, the number of uninsured nonelderly Americans began to rise starting in 2017, the Kaiser Family Foundation said in a report earlier this month.

“Coverage losses were driven by declines in Medicaid and non-group coverage and were particularly large among Hispanic people and for children,” the report said.

The ACA sought to provide health insurance coverage to more Americans by extending Medicaid coverage to poor people and by providing subsidies for marketplace coverage for those with incomes below 400% of the poverty rate.

Despite the recent increases, the number of uninsured Americans remains far below the levels before the enactment of the ACA. The number of uninsured nonelderly people fell from more than 46.5 million in 2010 to fewer than 26.7 million in 2016 before climbing to 28.9 million in 2019.

“The economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic has renewed attention on health insurance coverage as millions have lost their jobs and potentially their health coverage,” the report noted.