Dive Brief:
- A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that approximately 10.3 million Americans acquired coverage between January 2012 and June 2014.
- A significant drop in non-eldery uninsured individuals occurred during the first open enrollment period: a 5 percentage-point drop by the second quarter of 2014 and a 26% decline from 2012 to 2013.
- The drop in the uninsured rate for people with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level was significantly greater in states that expanded Medicaid (6% compared to 3.1%).
Dive Insight:
No big surprises here. Likely the biggest outcome of this study is that it gives more ammunition to a recently-formed Democratic caucus that aims to push non-compliant states to expand Medicaid. The group is made up of 33 lawmakers, primarily from those states that have refused to allocate more funding to the program. As of now, 26 states and D.C. have expanded the program to individuals whose incomes are up to 138% of the federal poverty level. 24 states are still holding out, and a handful have applied for federal waivers to explore the private option.
The data came from the Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index and was then compared with HHS enrollment numbers for Medicaid and marketplace coverage in each state during the first open enrollment period.
Want to read more? You might enjoy this story on how the 'Private Option' impacts hospitals.