Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
What Is The Cause Of America's Rising Uninsured Rates? Republicans Blame High Premiums, While Dems Say 'Sabotage'
The New York Times: After Falling Under Obama, America’s Uninsured Rate Looks To Be Rising
The number of Americans without health insurance plunged after Obamacare started. Now, early evidence suggests, it’s beginning to climb again. New polling from Gallup shows that the percentage of uninsured Americans inched up throughout last year. That trend matches other data suggesting that health coverage has been eroding under the policies of the Trump administration. (Sanger-Katz, 1/23)
The Wall Street Journal: More Americans Lack Health Insurance, New Survey Finds
The percentage of adults without health insurance climbed to 13.7% in the fourth quarter of 2018, from 12.4% a year earlier and a low of 10.9% in 2016, according to a closely followed Gallup report released Wednesday. The Gallup data is based on self-reported responses from tens of thousands of adults, and has been used in reports produced by policy makers. About seven million more Americans lacked health insurance in the fourth quarter compared with the 2016 period, according to Gallup. Women, low-income people and younger adults saw the greatest rise in the uninsured rate, the poll found. (Armour, 1/23)
The Hill: Uninsured Rate At Highest Level Since 2014
Gallup says ObamaCare's premium increases in recent years could contribute to a higher uninsured rate. The administration's funding cuts to ObamaCare's marketing and outreach budget could also have effected uninsured rates, Gallup said. Other factors include a shorter enrollment period and confusion caused by the GOP's efforts to repeal and replace the law in 2017, the survey states. (Hellmann, 1/23)
