Another Big Success for Obamacare
It is sad when many choose to live in an alternate state of reality. It is sad when inasmuch as there are absolute numbers showing the success of Obamacare albeit not as successful had it been a single payer system, many Republicans continue to lie on air and to their constituents. One hopes these constituent will penalize them for their lies.
Gallup reports another large drop in the rate of the uninsured.
The uninsured rate among U.S. adults aged 18 and older was 11.4% in the second quarter of 2015, down from 11.9% in the first quarter. The uninsured rate has dropped nearly six percentage points since the fourth quarter of 2013, just before the requirement for Americans to carry health insurance took effect. The latest quarterly uninsured rate is the lowest Gallup and Healthways have recorded since daily tracking of this metric began in 2008.
What makes this decline important is that it occurred across all demographics. Most importantly it was more pronounced in people of color, a demographic that for the longest time have been under served by healthcare.
The uninsured rate among Hispanics declined by 9.6 points from the fourth quarter of 2013 — the last full quarter of interviewing before the requirement that Americans carry health insurance took effect. Similarly, the percentage of uninsured blacks dipped 8.9 points over this period. Across major subgroups, those making less than $36,000 in annual household income have seen the sharpest drop — 9.9 points since the fourth quarter of 2013.
Another consequence of Obamacare is that more Americans have self-funded health insurance plans.
The percentage of 18- to 64-year-olds who are covered through a plan fully paid for by themselves or a family member was 20.9% in the second quarter, up from 17.6% in the fourth quarter of 2013. Similarly, 9.5% of 18- to 64-year-olds had Medicaid coverage last quarter, up from 6.9% in the final quarter of 2013. The increase in the percentage covered through Medicaid is likely due to the healthcare law provision that expanded the qualifying income levels for Medicaid.
Just under half of 18- to 64-year-olds in the U.S. (43.4%) have health insurance through a current or former employer — a percentage that has stayed relatively stable since the fourth quarter of 2013.
Obamacare has been a categorical success. It is time to hold those lying about it accountable. They are materially, medically, and financially hurting millions of Americans.