Number Of Uninsured In California Drops To 8.6 Percent
The state has cut the uninsured rate in half since 2012. Nationally, the rate falls to 9.1 percent, and nearly 13 million more people are insured than when the health law began enrollment efforts in 2013, the Census Bureau reports.
The Sacramento Bee:
California Halves Medically Uninsured Rate To 8.6 Percent
California’s vigorous embrace of Obamacare, particularly its sharp expansion of Medi-Cal coverage for the poor, has reduced the state’s medically uninsured population by half, a new Census Bureau report says. Three years ago, California had one of the nation’s lowest rates of medical insurance coverage, with 17.2 percent of its nearly 40 million residents lacking coverage, but by 2015, its uninsured rate had dropped to 8.6 percent, the Census Bureau study found. (Walters, 9/13)
Capital Public Radio/KXJZ:
California's Uninsured Rate Falls But Poverty Rate Still High
The report on each state's uninsured population shows California has cut more than 3.1 million people, or 8.6 percent of the state's population, off the rolls of the uninsured. That’s largely due to the state’s active participation in the Affordable Care Act, including Medi-Cal expansion. California doesn't just lead the nation in the sheer number of people who are now insured – which would be predictable, given that California has by far the state’s most residents. It’s also reduced its uninsured population by a greater percent than any other state in the nation. Meanwhile, the Census Bureau also released poverty rates. Its traditional measurement pegs California’s poverty rate at 15 percent – roughly in the middle of the pack. (Adler, 9/13)
Kaiser Health News:
Number Of Uninsured Falls Again In 2015
The federal health overhaul may still be experiencing implementation problems. But new federal data show it is achieving its main goal — to increase the number of Americans with health insurance coverage. According to the annual report on health insurance coverage from the Census Bureau, the uninsured rate dropped to 9.1 percent, down from 10.4 percent in 2014. The number of Americans without insurance also dropped, to 29 million from 33 million the year before. (Rovner, 9/13)
Modern Healthcare:
Uninsured Rate Drops, But Medical Expenses Still Drag Millions Into Poverty
However, separate census data showed that medical out-of-pocket expenses dragged 11.2 million people into poverty in 2015, a potential symptom of the shift of moving employees and individuals into health plans that have higher deductibles, copays and coinsurance rates. “This (report) is really validating the point that the law is working to expand health insurance coverage,” said Erin Trish, a health policy professor at the University of Southern California. But, she said, “There's definitely evidence suggesting people are still having a hard time making their payments for the premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.” (Herman, 9/13)
Meanwhile, a report from Republican lawmakers questions the financial health of state-run exchanges —
The Hill:
GOP Report: State-Run ObamaCare Exchanges Are Headed For Collapse
The dozen ObamaCare exchanges run by the states are struggling financially and could be headed toward collapse over the next several years, according to a new report released Tuesday by House Republicans. All of the active state-run exchanges are still relying on federal dollars, nearly two years after they were supposed to be self-sustaining under law, according to a lengthy report by Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. (Ferris, 9/13)