Uninsured Rate Drops by 50% in Medicaid Expansion States, Poll Finds
The rate of uninsured U.S. residents has fallen by half in the 29 states and Washington, D.C., that expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, according to the Urban Institute's Health Reform Monitoring Survey published Thursday, The Hill reports (Ferris, The Hill, 4/16).
The survey examined changes in health coverage in the country overall and individual states for adults ages 18 to 64 from September 2013 to early March 2015 (Health Reform Monitoring Survey, 4/16).
The survey found that almost 93% of U.S. residents in states that expanded Medicaid are insured.
According to the survey, the uninsured rate in the 21 states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs under the ACA dropped by about 30%. About 86% of residents in such states are insured.
Meanwhile, the survey also found that the country's uninsured rate has continued to decline this year, with about one in 10 U.S. residents still lacking coverage. The survey noted that 15 million individuals have gained health coverage throughout the past two years, which caused the U.S. uninsured rate to fall to 10.1% (The Hill, 4/16).
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