Calif. Has 36th Lowest Uninsured Rate in U.S., Report Finds
A new WalletHub report ranks California and other states based on their uninsured rates after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the Pacific Business News reports.
Details of Report
The report was based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. It compared uninsured rates from before and after the ACA took effect to determine the law's effect on coverage between 2010 and 2014 (Gill, Pacific Business News, 11/10).
All 50 states and Washington, D.C., were included in the report, which also categorized uninsured rates by age, race and income level (KHON, 11/10).
Nationally, the report found that the uninsured rate fell to 11.7% in 2014 (Albuquerque Journal, 11/10).
California Findings
California ranked 36th overall, with an uninsured rate of 12.45% last year. In comparison:
- Massachusetts had the lowest rate, at 3.28%; and
- Texas had the highest rate, at 19.06%.
Meanwhile, the uninsured rate among California:
- Adults fell by 7.13%, to 14.64%; and
- Children fell by 3.52%, to 5.44%.
The national averages among adults and children in 2014 were 5.96% and 13.35%, respectively.
The report also found that California had the:
- Eighth lowest difference in uninsured rates between blacks and whites; and
- 18th lowest difference in uninsured rates between Hispanics and whites.
Further, California had the:
- 34th lowest uninsured rate among low-income households, at 18.4%; and
- 41st lowest uninsured rate among high-income households, at 5.92%.
In terms of coverage type, the report found that:
- The number of California residents enrolled in public coverage increased by 4.84% from 2010 to 2014;
- The number of residents enrolled in private coverage increased by 1.25% in that time; and
- 50.37% of insured residents in 2014 had employer-based coverage, compared with 48.65% in 2010 (Kiernan, WalletHub report, November 2015).