Dive Brief:
- Just 10.9% of U.S. adults under 65 were uninsured during the third quarter of 2016--the lowest uninsured rate ever reported during the 9 years of tracking under the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
- The rate showed a significant decline from the 11.9% uninsured rate reported by Gallup in the fourth quarter of 2015.
- The research company highlighted that the current uninsured rate is down 6.2 points since the individual mandate was implemented.
Dive Insight:
While the number is different, calculating an uninsurance rate of 10.9% compared to the 8.6% reported by the CDC's latest National Health Interview Survey, Gallup's findings similarly illustrated a trend toward historic lows under each survey.
It also similarly found that the highest uninsured rate among adults under age 65 (at which point most get Medicare) was among young adults between 26 and 34 (19%) and next for those 18 to 25 (14%). That remains a problem for the ACA marketplace risk pool, where more young and typically healthy members are needed to help balance an overly sick population that has driven losses for insurers, followed by many pulling back their marketplace participation and/or raising their rates. Due to the lackluster participation from young adults, the federal government has been promoting special outreach efforts to millennials for 2017 enrollment.
For the progress seen so far, Gallup points to the impact of the individual mandate though whether that mandate will be enough to keep current ACA plan enrollees and incentivize more to sign up is yet to be seen. It has been a year when the marketplace has drawn ever-harsher criticism over sustainability issues for insurers, and dwindling levels of competition paired with increasing premiums for consumers. While tax credits will shield the majority of customers, those who don't qualify will feel the increase.
"The fourth open enrollment period, set to begin on Nov. 1, will be a critical one for the law," Gallup stated, adding, "Results from the first quarter of 2017 will illustrate how these rate increases may affect the percentage of U.S. adults who remain without health insurance."