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Obamacare update: Latest poll number reveal drop in uninsured
The nation’s uninsured rate dropped modestly this month as the major coverage expansion under U.S. President Barack Obama’s health care law got underway, according to a closely watched survey released Thursday.
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index found that the uninsured rate for U.S. adults dropped by 1.2 percentage points in January, to 16.1 percent. The biggest change was for unemployed people, a drop of 6.7 percentage points. That was followed by a 2.6 percentage-point decline for nonwhites. Traditionally both groups are far more likely to be uninsured than the population as a whole.
The survey found no appreciable change among young adults ages 18-34. Members of that coveted, low-cost demographic have been ambivalent about signing up so far.
Based on interviews with more than 9,000 people, the Gallup numbers could be the first evidence that core provisions of Obama’s much-debated law have started delivering on the promise of access for nearly all Americans.
The overall drop in the uninsured rate would translate to approximately 2 million to 3 million people gaining coverage.
Major elements of the health care law took effect with the new year. Virtually all Americans are now required to get covered or risk fines. Insurers can no longer turn away people with health problems. New state-based markets are offering taxpayer-subsidized insurance to middle-class households.
Medicaid sign-ups are also rising. That’s partly because of a program expansion accepted by half the states and partly as a consequence of previously eligible but un-enrolled people now forced to comply with the law’s individual coverage mandate.
