Uninsured Rate 'Down Significantly'

As Speaker Boehner, Chairman Paul Ryan and House Republicans move to repeal and undermine the Affordable Care Act this week, Gallup has some news for them today:

Uninsured Rate Sinks to 12.9%

The uninsured rate among U.S. adults for the fourth quarter of 2014 averaged 12.9%.  This is down…from 13.4% in the third quarter of 2014 and down significantly from 17.1% a year ago.  The uninsured rate has dropped 4.2 percentage points since the Affordable Care Act's requirement for Americans to have health insurance went into effect one year ago.

The uninsured rate declined sharply in the first and second quarters last year as more Americans signed up for health insurance through federal and state exchanges.  After the open enrollment period closed in mid-April, the rate leveled off at around 13%.  The 12.9% who lacked health insurance in the fourth quarter is the lowest Gallup and Healthways have recorded since beginning to track the measure daily in 2008.

While the uninsured rate has declined across nearly all key demographic groups since the Affordable Care Act went into effect a year ago, it has plunged most among blacks and lower-income Americans.  The uninsured rate among blacks dropped seven points over the past year, while the rate among Americans earning less than $36,000 in annual household income dropped 6.9 points.

…the percentage of uninsured Hispanics is down 6.3 points since the end of 2013.

Across age groups, the uninsured rate dropped the most among 18- to 25-year-olds, falling 6.1 points from a year ago.  The rate fell 5.6 points for 26- to 34-year-olds, and 5.2 points for 35- to 64-year-olds.  The percentage of uninsured Americans aged 65 and older has not changed over the past year, likely because most were already covered through Medicare.

The uninsured rate among 18- to- 64-year-olds dropped to 15.5% from 20.8% a year ago, with most of the dip reflecting Americans gaining coverage through self-funded plans, Medicaid and Medicare….

So much for describing the Affordable Care Act as…

… crippling and "detrimental" – Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers

…burdensome – Majority Whip Steve Scalise

… "beyond repair" – Rep. Paul Ryan

As MSNBC says: "to deny the recent successes of the Affordable Care Act is to bury one's head in the sand."