Uninsured Rate Decline Stalls For First Time Since 2010, Holding Steady In Trump’s First Year Despite Attacks Against Law
An estimated 8.8 percent of the population, or about 28.5 million people, did not have health insurance coverage at any point in 2017. That was slightly higher than the 28.1 million in 2016, but did not affect the uninsured rate.
The Hill:
Census: Uninsured Rate Held Steady In 2017, With 28.5M Lacking Coverage
The rate of Americans without health insurance remained flat in 2017 at 8.8 percent, according to data released Wednesday by the Census Bureau. The 8.8 percent uninsured rate in 2017, which translates to 28.5 million people, was the same as the rate from 2016. The data show that in the first year of the Trump administration, the uninsured rate remained the same as in the last year under President Obama. That is a contrast to data released in January from Gallup, which showed three million additional people without health insurance in President Trump’s first year and drew condemnation from Democrats. (Sullivan, 9/12)
Kaiser Health News:
In Trump’s First Year, Nation’s Uninsured Rate Unchanged
However, the uninsured rate did rise in 14 states. It was not immediately clear why, because the states varied dramatically by location, politics and whether they had expanded Medicaid under the federal health law. Those states included Texas, Florida, Vermont, Minnesota and Oregon. (Galewitz, 9/12)
The Washington Post:
For First Time Since 2010, America’s Progress On Health Insurance Stalls
The finding suggests America's recent success in lowering its uninsured population has plateaued, with potential implications for policymaking and the fate of the U.S. health care system. "There has been a stall in the progress of reducing the number of uninsured Americans,” said Laura Skopec, a health care expert at the Urban Institute, a centrist think-tank. (Stein, 9/12)
Politico:
Census: Uninsured Rate Held Steady In Trump's First Year
Health care experts said that Trump administration policies enacted since last fall, after the repeal effort failed, could push up the uninsured rate this year. This includes the gutting of Obamacare's individual mandate and the approval of Medicaid work requirements, which could result in tens of thousands of low-income people losing coverage in some states. "Increases in the number of people uninsured could come this year and next, as changes to the [Affordable Care Act] from the Trump administration and Congress take hold,” tweeted Larry Levitt, a senior vice president with the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Roubein, 9/12)
Pioneer Press:
Minnesota’s Uninsured Rate Ticked Up Slightly In 2017 Amid Obamacare Repeal Debate
The number of Minnesotans without health insurance climbed by 17,563 last year, driving up the uninsured rate to 4.4 percent, but the state continues to have one of the best rates of overall medical coverage in the nation. Altogether, 242,509 Minnesotans lacked health insurance in 2017, with black and Hispanic residents having the largest uninsured rates at 17 percent, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. (Magan, 9/12)
Health News Florida:
State Uninsured Rate Increases, Tops National Average
More than 2.6 million people in Florida lacked health insurance at some point in 2017, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. That means about 12.9 percent of the state’s population last year was uninsured --- up from 12.5 percent in 2016 --- as Florida continued to be higher than the national average of 8.8 percent. (Hokrein, 9/13)
In other health law and marketplace news —
The Hill:
Trump Officials Make It Easier To Avoid ObamaCare Mandate Penalty
The Trump administration is making it easier for individuals to opt out of ObamaCare’s individual mandate. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) says it is streamlining the way taxpayers can claim “hardship exemptions” from the mandate, which requires everyone have health insurance or pay a fine. (Weixel, 9/12)
Seattle Times:
Washington State’s Health-Care Exchange Premiums Could Increase Nearly 14 Percent
Premiums for Washington state’s health-insurance exchange will likely increase by nearly 14 percent next year, according to state insurance officials. The Washington Health Benefit Exchange Board will vote Thursday on the proposal from Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler to raise premiums 13.8 percent for 2019. If passed, it will be the fourth year in a row premiums have risen. In 2015 the increase was only 1 percent; it bumped up to 4 percent in 2016 and 11 percent in 2017. The increase this past year has been almost 24 percent. (Blethen, 9/12)
Texas Tribune:
Texas Health Groups Receive $5 Million Less In Affordable Care Act Grants
A program meant to help underserved populations enroll in and navigate the federal health insurance marketplace has slashed millions in funds for grassroots Texas groups, according to the agency that manages the program. ...For Texas, that means just two community organizations statewide received a total of $1.3 million for the navigator program, documents released Wednesday show. (Armus, 9/12)
Georgia Health News:
One Small Group Gets All The Funding For ACA Navigators In Georgia
A small DeKalb County nonprofit has been given a statewide grant to provide navigators for people seeking to enroll in the Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges. Navigators are people specially trained to advise and assist consumers who use the exchanges to buy health coverage. (Miller, 9/12)
