The most obviousexplanation for the reversal in fortune are the efforts taken byPresident Trump and Republicans in Congress to undermine the ACA.(Photo: Shutterstock)
Despite a strong economy and tight labor market, the uninsuredrate increased in 2018, moving up from 7.9 percent to 8.5 percent.The percentage of children without insurance also rose, from 4.9percent to 5.5 percent.
|According to Census data, it's the first time since 2009that the uninsured rate has increased. The percentage of Americanswithout insurance plummeted in the years following theimplementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2013.
|The most obvious explanation for the reversal in fortune are theefforts taken by President Trump and Republicans in Congress toundermine the ACA, notably by repealing theindividual mandate at the end of 2017.
|Related: How do those with ACA insurance feel about itsfuture?
|The Trump administration has also withheld funds from insurersthat have resulted in higher premiums, reduced the open enrollmentperiod for ACA plans and significantly pared back marketing of theplans.
|While most of the Trump administration changes did not impactthe cost of plans for the majority of enrollees, whose premiums arebased on their income, they drove up the price paid byhigher-income customers who did not qualify for subsidies.
|There is also speculation that legal immigrants have avoidedenrolling in coverage for fear that receiving any type ofgovernment subsidy would make it harder for them to gaincitizenship. The Trump administration has proposed a "publiccharge" rule that would make it harder for those who have receivedgovernment benefits to become citizens.
|The jump in the uninsured rate coincides with a year that wasotherwise prosperous, with income rising and poverty declining.
|Democrats are not reluctant to pin the blame on thepresident.
|"President Trump's cruel health care sabotage has left twomillion more people without health insurance, forced to live inconstant fear of an accident or injury that could spell financialruin for their families," said Nancy Pelosi in a statement.
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