The number of U.S. adults without insurance continued to decline to historically low rates in the first quarter of 2022. Uninsured children rose slightly from 4Q21 to 1Q22, but remained at historically low levels. The cause appears to be amped up government subsidies for insurance policies available to individuals and families through the Affordable Care Act market.
That's what a report from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department concludes. Based on HHS's analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
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the report tracks insurance coverage for those not covered by employer plans. The expanding availability of Medicaid coverage, plus further premium subsidies from the American Rescue Plan, were cited by the report as coinciding with the declines.
The overall uninsured rate for all U.S. adults and children in the first quarter of this year dropped to a record low of 8%. "This reflects 5.2 million people gaining coverage since 2020," the report says.
The uninsured rate for adults fell from 13.1% in last year's fourth quarter to 11.8% in 1Q22. The rate for children rose slightly, from 3.5% to 3.7%. In the fourth quarter of 2020, those stood at 14.5% and 6.4%, respectively.
Further dissecting the data for individuals under the age of 65, HHS reports:
- Those with incomes below 100% FPL had the greatest gain in coverage, with uninsured rates decreasing 4.5 percentage points (from 20% to 15.5%).
- The rates for those between 100% and 200% FPL went from 16.6% to 16%. When compared to Q2 2021, there was a larger decline–from 19% to 16%.
- Uninsured rates for those with incomes between 200% and 400% FPL decreased by 2%, to 9.7%.
- The rate for those with incomes above 400% FPL declined from 4.2% to 3.7%.
Data from the study showed that the percentage of uninsured Americans dropped significantly during the Obama Administration, to below 9%, rose back over 10% during the Trump Administration, and quickly fell under the current regime.
"Overall, these results highlight the significant gains in health insurance coverage that occurred in 2021 and early 2022 associated with the Biden-Harris Administration's policies to support health insurance expansion," the report says. "These gains build on the large reductions in the uninsured rate that occurred after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014, which research demonstrates produced improved health outcomes, better access to care, and improved financial security for families."
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
