Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Says 16.4 Million People Have Gained Insurance Under Health Law
The New York Times: Data On Health Law Shows Largest Drop In Uninsured In 4 Decades, The U.S. Says
The Obama administration said on Monday that 16.4 million uninsured people had gained health coverage since major provisions of the Affordable Care Act began to take effect in 2010, driving the largest reduction in the number of uninsured in about 40 years. Since the first open enrollment period began in October 2013, the officials said, the proportion of adults lacking insurance has dropped to 13.2 percent, from 20.3 percent. Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the secretary of health and human services, said the data revealed “the largest reduction in the uninsured in four decades.” (Pear, 3/16)
The Associated Press: Obama Administration: 16.4M Have Gained Health Insurance
But measuring a different way, an independent expert who took into account insurance losses during some of those years had a much lower estimate: 9.7 million. The Department of Health and Human Services estimated that 16.4 million adults have gained health insurance since the law's major coverage provisions began taking effect in 2010. The lower independent estimate is based on a large daily survey called the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. There seems to be no dispute that Obama's law has significantly reduced the number of uninsured Americans. The question is, by how much? (Alonso-Zaldivar and Pace, 3/16)
Kaiser Health News: HHS: Health Law Has Helped Insure 16.4 Million
A total of 16.4 million non-elderly adults have gained health insurance coverage since the Affordable Care Act became law five years ago this month – a “historic” reduction in the number of uninsured, the Department of Health and Human Services said Monday. Those gaining insurance since 2010 include 2.3 million young adults aged 18 to 26 who were able to remain on their parents’ health insurance plus another 14.1 million adults who obtained coverage through expansions of the Medicaid program, new marketplace coverage and other sources, according to HHS’ report. (Rovner, 3/16)
The Wall Street Journal: Uninsured Rate Down Sharply Since Health Law Was Enacted
A report released by the Department of Health and Human Services, based largely on Gallup survey data, found that about 16.4 million people have gained health coverage since the law’s passage. That number includes 14.1 million adults who have gained coverage since the beginning of open enrollment in October 2013. It also includes younger adults who were allowed to remain on their parents’ plans until age 26. The total also includes people who signed up for Medicaid, the state-federal health-care program for the poor, under an ACA provision that let states change eligibility requirements so more people above the poverty level would qualify. (Armour, 3/16)
USA Today: Uninsured Rates Drop Dramatically Under Obamacare
Edmund Haislmaier, senior research fellow for health policy at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank, said using survey data and extrapolating figures is "kind of a backwards way" of looking at the reduction in the uninsured. A better way is to examine insurer data, he said. For the first three quarters of last year, he said, insurer data showed a net growth of 5.8 million people in the individual insurance market, both on and off exchanges. He said that was offset by a 4.9 million-person decrease in the employer-insured market — meaning net growth in the private insurance market was less than a million people. Government data cited by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that from summer 2013 to 2014, there was a net increase of 8.7 million people enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. (Ungar, 3/16)
The Washington Post: Affordable Care Act Adds 16.4 Million To Health Insurance Rolls
The Latino uninsured rate dropped by 12.3 percentage points between the first quarter of 2014 and the same period in 2015 as 4.2 million adults gained coverage. That ethnic group, however, continues to have the lowest rate of insurance coverage. About 2.3 million African Americans enrolled, dropping that group’s uninsured rate by 9.2 percentage points, and 6.6 million whites obtained coverage, a decline of 5.3 percentage points. (Bernstein, 3/16)
Politico Pro: HHS Says 16 Million Have Gained Health Coverage
The Obama administration said Monday that 16.4 million uninsured people have gotten health coverage since the Affordable Care Act became law nearly five years ago, the largest gain in insurance in decades. (Pradhan, 3/16)
NBC News: Feds: 4.2M Latinos Got Health Coverage, Saw Biggest Gains
The share of adult Latinos without medical insurance dropped from 41.8 percent to about a third, the Health and Human Services Department announced Monday. This makes Hispanics the group with the largest gains in insurance. (Gamboa, 3/16)
The New York Times: Obama Plans To Use Week To Press Economic Case
Even though Republicans control both houses of Congress, Mr. Obama is using the considerable tools at his disposal to try to build public support for his own agenda. Just as Republicans were preparing to unveil a budget that would propose to repeal Mr. Obama’s signature health care law, the administration released new figures showing that 16.4 million Americans had obtained health insurance since it took effect. The growth of health care costs has slowed over the same period. (Hirschfeld Davis, 3/16)
CQ Healthbeat: Racial, Ethnic Health Coverage Disparities On The Decline, HHS Says
Minorities have gained health insurance at higher rates than white Americans since the marketplaces created by the health care law opened in October 2013, Health and Human Services officials said Monday in releasing a report that found 16.4 million people gained insurance since 2010. African-American and Latino adults still remain less likely to have health coverage than white people. However, the disparities are declining. (Adams, 3/16)
The Denver Post: Denver Reports 94% Of Residents Have Health Coverage
Be Healthy Denver and Denver Public Health said Monday new data indicates 94 percent of city residents have health care coverage. Before implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2014, officials said, about 108,000 people in Denver — about 1 in 5 residents — were uninsured. Officials report 83.1 percent were insured. (Draper, 3/16)
