Dive Brief:
- The nationwide rate of uninsured Americans has dropped 3.5% to its lowest level since Gallup started measuring it seven years ago, representing the sharpest decline in the number of uninsured Americans since the ACA took effect at the beginning of 2014, according to a Gallup press release.
- The new level of uninsured Americans is 13.8%, down from 17.3% in 2013, with no state reporting a statistically-significant increase in the number of uninsured during the same period. Moreover, states that have chosen to expand Medicaid in addition to setting up ACA exchanges have seen the steepest declines. The uninsured rate dropped 4.8% in the 21 states that implemented both measures, compared with a 2.7% decrease in states that have executed one or none of the two initiatives.
- Arkansas and Kentucky topped the list of states with the biggest declines in uninsured, 11.1% and 10.6% respectively, with Oregon, Washington and Virginia rounding out the top five.
Dive Insight:
Generally speaking, it seems that the ACA is meeting its goals, but it's important to take these numbers with a grain of salt: Insurance does not equal care. Too many of the newly-insured are still going to the ED for their primary care, as they did for years prior to having insurance.
Also, many Americans are still having issues navigating the exchanges, and there are still internal issues regarding the administration of the ACA, such as 800,000 ACA policyholders who were sent the wrong tax information.
In addition, as Gallup reported, there are still 29 states that are declining to get on board with Medicaid expansion and state-run ACA exchanges. Further, insurers who offered exchange plans without hospital benefits must now go back to the drawing board, as those plans just got nixed as a way for employers to meet their ACA obligations.
There is still a ways to go, but as far as the healthcare industry is concerned, down is better than up.