Nearly nine out of 10 Americans now have health insurance, a sharp improvement from two years ago before Obamacare was put in place.
A poll by Gallup found that the uninsured rate among U.S adults declined to 11.9% in the first quarter, down one percentage point from the end of last year and an improvement from the 18% without insurance in the fall of 2013, when the Americans were first were able to sign up for coverage at state and federal exchanges.
This is the lowest percentage of Americans without coverage since Gallup started tracking the figure in 2008. Those without coverage was just under 15% at that time, then remained in the range of 15% to 18% before it started declining sharply two years ago. The law requiring most Americans to have coverage or pay a penalty took effect at the start of 2014.
“An improving economy and a falling unemployment rate may also have accelerated the steep drop in the percentage of uninsured over the past year,” said the Gallup report. “However, the uninsured rate is significantly lower than it was in early 2008, before the depths of the economic recession, suggesting that the recent decline is due to more than just an improving economy.”
Those making less than $36,000 a year have seen the most significant rate of improvement. Though 22% still do not have coverage, that’s down from 30.7% at the end of 2013.
Those 26 to 34 years old have also seen the most improvement of any age group, but again, more than 20% still lack coverage. About 98% of those age 65 and older have coverage, basically unchanged from two years ago, as almost all of them qualify for Medicare.
And far more minority adults still are without coverage, as about 13% of of blacks and 30% of Hispanics don’t have coverage. But once again, they’ve seen greater improvement in their rates of coverage than have whites.
