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New Study: 10.3 Million Gained Health Coverage During the
Marketplace’s First Annual Open Enrollment Period
Special to The Truth
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell
announced last week the release of a new study, published in
the New England Journal of Medicine, estimating that 10.3
million uninsured adults gained health care coverage
following the first open enrollment period in the Health
Insurance Marketplace.
The report examines trends in insurance before and after the
open enrollment period and finds greater gains among those
states that expanded their Medicaid programs under the
Affordable Care Act.
“We are committed to providing every American with access to
quality, affordable health services and this study reaffirms
that the Affordable Care Act has set us on a path toward
achieving that goal,” said Secretary Burwell. “This study
also reaffirms that expanding Medicaid under the Affordable
Care Act is important for coverage, as well as a good deal
for states. To date, 26 states plus D.C. have moved forward
with Medicaid expansion. We’re hopeful remaining states
will come on board and we look forward to working closely
with them.”
According to the authors’ findings, the uninsured rate for
adults ages 18 to 64 fell from 21 percent in September 2013
to 16.3 percent in April 2014. After taking into account
economic factors and pre-existing trends, this corresponded
to a 5.2 percentage-point change, or 10.3 million adults
gaining coverage.
The decline in the uninsured was significant for all age,
race/ethnicity, and gender groups, with the largest changes
occurring among Latinos, blacks, and adults ages 18-34 –
groups the Administration targeted for outreach during open
enrollment.
Coverage gains were concentrated among low-income adults in
states expanding Medicaid and among individuals in the
income range eligible for Marketplace subsidies. The study
finds a 5.1 percentage point reduction in the uninsured rate
associated with Medicaid expansion, while in states that
have not expanded their Medicaid programs, the change in the
uninsured rate among low-income adult populations was not
statistically significant.
Today’s study also looks at access to care, and finds that
within the first six months of gaining coverage, more adults
(approximately 4.4 million) reported having a personal
doctor and fewer (approximately 5.3 million) experienced
difficulties paying for medical care.
Today’s study does not include data from before 2012, as
coverage was changing rapidly during this period. This
means the results do not include the more than three million
young adults who gained health insurance coverage through
their parents’ plans.
The analysis builds on previous studies by reviewing a
larger sample size and taking into account changes in the
economy and pre-existing trends in insurance coverage.
Using survey data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being
Index for January 1, 2012, through June 30, 2014, the
authors analyzed changes in the uninsured rate over
time. This is also the first study to associate reductions
in the uninsured rate with state-level statistics on
enrollment in the Marketplaces and Medicaid under the
Affordable Care Act, as described in HHS enrollment reports,
and to assess the impact of the improved coverage on access
to care.
To read the article visit:
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsr1406753 |
