Rate of uninsured drops as health law rolls out, poll finds

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

It may just be the start of a new trend. The uninsured rate dropped modestly this month as expanded coverage rolled out under President Barack Obama’s health care law, a major survey released Thursday has found.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index found that the uninsured rate for U.S. adults dropped by 1.2 percentage points in January, to 16.1 percent. That would translate to roughly 2 million to 3 million people gaining coverage.

The closely watched poll combines the scope and depth found in government surveys with the timeliness of media sampling. Pollsters interview 500 people a day, 350 days a year. The survey can be an early indicator of broad shifts in society. The health care results were based on more than 9,000 interviews, about nine times as many as in a standard national poll.

“The uninsured rate had been expected to come down as the Affordable Care Act was implemented,” said Frank Newport, Gallup’s editor-in-chief. “That would be the most reasonable hypothesis.”

The biggest change was for unemployed people, a drop of 6.7 percentage points. That was followed by a 2.6 percentage-point decline for nonwhites. Traditionally, both groups are far more likely to be uninsured than the population as a whole.

The survey found no appreciable change among young adults age 18-34. Members of that coveted, low-cost demographic have been ambivalent about signing up so far.

Women saw a decline of 1.9 percentage points, about three times greater than the 0.6 percentage-point drop for men. Uninsured rates also fell all along the income ladder, with those making $36,000-$89,999 seeing the greatest drop, 1.8 percentage points.

Major elements of the health care law took effect with the new year. Virtually all Americans now are required to get covered or risk fines. Insurers no longer can turn away people with health problems. New state-based markets are offering taxpayer-subsidized insurance to middle-class households.

Medicaid sign-ups also are rising. That’s partly because of a program expansion accepted by half the states and partly as a consequence of previously eligible but unenrolled people now forced to comply with the law’s individual coverage mandate.