Smart Benefits: HHS Reports On Coverage Gains Since ACA
Monday, March 23, 2015
A new report from HHS’ Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation highlights the changes in the number of uninsured since the Affordable Care Act took effect.
Coverage Totals
According to the report, about 16.4 million uninsured gained health insurance coverage since the ACA’s coverage provisions took effect, dropping the uninsured rate from 20.3 percent to 13.2 percent. Of those:
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST- 14.1 million were adults who got coverage (including 3.4 million young adults ages 19-25) through March 4, 2015.
- 2.3 million were young adults ages 19-25 who got health insurance between 2010 and the start of open enrollment in October 2013 because of the ACA provision that allows children to remain on a parent’s plan until age 26.
Race/Ethnicity Differences
The uninsured rate declined across all race/ethnicity categories. However, the decline was greatest among Latinos, who experienced a drop of 12.3 percentage points from a baseline uninsured rate of 41.8 percent.
Income Impact
Health insurance coverage gains were strongest in Medicaid expansion states and were concentrated among low and middle income population groups in all states.
- Non-expansion states, who had an average baseline uninsured rate of 23.4 percent, saw a drop of 6.9 percentage points. Families with incomes between 139-400 percent of FPL had the largest drop at 10.1 percentage points.
- Expansion states, with an average baseline uninsured rate of 18.2 percent, experienced a drop of 7.4 percentage points. Families with incomes at 138 percent of poverty or less had the largest drop at 13 percentage points.
The report indicated there was little or no change in coverage among people with incomes above 400% of FPL.
Rob Calise is a founding partner of Cornerstone Group, where he helps clients control the costs of employee benefits by focusing on consumer driven strategies and on how to best utilize the tax savings tools the government provides. Rob serves as Chairman of the Board of United Benefit Advisors, and is a board member of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI Broker Advisory Board, United HealthCare of New England Broker Advisory Board and Rhode Island Business Healthcare Advisors Council. He is also a member of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), American Health Insurance Association (AHIA) and the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC), as well as various human resource associations. Rob is a graduate of Bryant University with a BS in Finance.
Related Articles
- Smart Benefits: November 15 Key for Individual – and Employer – Health Exchange Enrollment
- Smart Benefits: Deadline Next Week for Health Plan Identifiers
- Smart Benefits: Supreme Court Will Hear Health Insurance Subsidy Challenge
- Smart Benefits: Employers Can’t Pay for Purchase of Employees Individual Health Insurance
- Smart Benefits: Serve Up Wellness for the Holidays
- Smart Benefits: When Dental and Vision Don’t Count…Under PPAC, That Is
- Smart Benefits: OHIC Grant Will Mean More Transparency for Rhode Islanders
- Smart Benefits: Are Double-Digit Premium Increases a Thing of the Past?
- Smart Benefits: Is Your Wellness Program EEOC-Proof?
- Smart Benefits: New IRS Guidance on FTE Look-Back Period
- Smart Benefits: Obamacare Exchanges: Enrollment Expectations
- Smart Benefits: Transitional Reinsurance Enrollment Count Deadline Extended to Dec. 5
- Smart Benefits: CMS Issues Proposed Rule on Definition of Spouse
- Smart Benefits: 8 Reasons to Have an Employee Handbook
- Smart Benefits: FLSA Exempt Status Change for Home Care Workers Halted
- Smart Benefits: Fines for Small Business Premium Reimbursement Delayed
- Smart Benefits: RI’s Uninsured Down Nearly 4% in 2014
- Smart Benefits: RI Joins Other States in Extending Exchange Enrollment Deadline
- Smart Benefits: Voluntary Benefits Up with Employers and Employees
- Smart Benefits: HealthSource RI Gets More Federal Funding
- Smart Benefits: Start 2015 by Planning for Health Reform Changes in 2016
- Smart Benefits: The Employer Mandate Has Arrived
- Smart Benefits: Obamacare vs RI Exchange- Which Enrollment Approach Worked Best?
- Smart Benefits: New Forms for Filing this Tax Season
- Smart Benefits: HHS to Up Investigations of Exchanges