The nation's uninsured rate declined sharply in 2014 and by nearly one-fifth to 16 percent of the population since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act went into effect, according to new figures.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health Interview Survey, out Tuesday, finds that the uninsured rate for adults under 65 dropped from 20.4 percent to 16.3 percent between 2013 and 2014. Most notably, the uninsured rate among adults 19-25 dropped from 31.3 percent to 26.9 percent in 2014.
It's the largest drop since the survey began tracking the figures in 1997, and it follows a stream of others to document the nation's dropping uninsured rate.
Recommended For You
The survey also shows some discrepancies in the numbers. For example, the uninsured rate in states that expanded Medicaid fell from 18.4 percent to 13.3 percent last year. The drop was much smaller in non-expansion states, at 22.7 percent to 19.6 percent.
Uninsured rates also vary from state to state.
In Oklahoma and Texas, 21.5 percent of residents are uninsured—more than eight times as much as in Hawaii, where just 2.5 percent of residents are uninsured. Massachusetts and Delaware are the No. 2 and 3 in lowest uninsured rates in the nation, after Hawaii, while Alaska and Florida have the next-highest after Oklahoma and Texas.
The CDC's report is based on a survey of 111,682 people.
Of course, the progress of the nation's uninsured rate is threatened by the outcome of King v. Burwell, which will determine if the subsidies given to some 6.4 million Americans through PPACA is constitutional. A ruling is expected within a week.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
