Uninsured Rate Drops to Five-Year Low of 16%, Gallup Poll Finds
The percentage of U.S. residents who are uninsured now stands at 16%, the lowest rate since 2009, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday, the Washington Post's "Wonkblog" reports (Kliff, "Wonkblog," Washington Post, 2/12).
The survey of 19,000 adults was conducted between Jan. 2 and Feb. 10.
According to the survey, the percentage of people who are enrolled in Medicaid has increased from 6.6% during the last quarter of 2013 to 7.4%, while the rate of workers with employer-sponsored coverage has declined two percentage points, to 43.5%, since the last quarter.
The survey also found that among specific demographics, the uninsured rate of young adults has fallen the most rapidly. According to Gallup, 25.7% of adults ages 26 to 34 remain uninsured, down from a multi-year high of 30.2% in the last quarter (Easley, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 2/12).
Gallup noted that it is not yet clear whether the Affordable Care Act is responsible for the declines. Pollsters noted that previous surveys have shown drops in uninsured rates followed by increases. For example, the uninsured rate in 2011 had dropped to 16.1%, before increasing to a peak of 18% in mid-2013 (Britt, "Market Watch," Wall Street Journal, 2/12). Gallup added that the effect of the ACA on uninsured rates might not be evident for several more months ("Wonkblog," Washington Post, 2/12).
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