The country’s uninsured rate dipped more than a percentage point in the first quarter of 2014 amid a rapidly approaching deadline requiring Americans to purchase coverage or be penalized, a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index study found.
The study, released Monday, has the country on pace to reach the lowest uninsured rate since 2008, before Barack Obama won the presidency. According to the findings, 15.9 percent of Americans now lack insurance coverage. In the final quarter of 2013, 17.1 percent went without.
Researchers said that number peaked in the third quarter of 2013 at 18 percent and has been at a steady decline since. That percentage equates to about 3 million to 4 million Americans, the study says.
“This drop could be a result of the ACA (Affordable Care Act), which aims to provide healthcare coverage to more Americans through multiple provisions, including federal and state healthcare marketplaces where Americans can purchase health insurance coverage at competitive rates,” the study says.
Texas nearly lags behind the national uninsured rate by double digits. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, 24.6 percent of Texans lack insurance.
At the end of last month, the Department of Health and Human Services, which has taken on the mantle of getting uninsured Americans to sign up, reported four million citizens had used the marketplaces to purchase coverage since the law was enacted.
Open enrollment will close on March 31 and Gallup predicts the uninsured rate will only continue to fall.
Residents in almost every major demographic in the country made strides in gaining coverage. Hispanics, however, continue to be the most likely to lack health insurance. According to the findings, 37.9 percent are not enrolled. Last week, President Obama appeared in a town hall meeting that aired on three of the largest Spanish-speaking media entities to urge all who are eligible to enroll.
The administration estimates there are 10.2 million Latinos who qualify for insurance but have not signed up. The Spanish language enrollment website was delayed after myriad technical problems marred the launch of Healthcare.gov.
“For everybody out there who’s in a mixed family, there is no sharing of the data from the healthcare plan into immigration services,” Obama said during the town hall meeting. “You should feel confident that if somebody in your family is eligible you should sign them up.”
Also a concern for the administration is the relatively stagnant uninsured rate among 18-to-25-year-olds, a demographic that is typically healthier and helps keep costs down. The study found that 23 percent remain without coverage, down from 23.5 percent in the final quarter of 2014.
In order for the ACA to succeed, experts say at least 40 percent of enrollees must be in that demographic.
The largest decline belongs to residents making $36,000 or less: The study found 27.9 percent now lack insurance compared to 30.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013.
The findings of the Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index came from a random sampling of telephone interviews with more than 28,000 American adults.
