New data released regarding uninsured statistics help put into perspective the importance of the Affordable Care Act in substantially reducing uninsured rates. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) recently released updated data on national uninsured rates. The new data shows that since 2010 through the first nine months of 2014, there has been significant progress in increasing the number of people who have insurance across the United States.
While state-level Census data is not yet available for 2014, the increased access to health insurance in Wisconsin that is provided by the ACA is reflected by the fact that more than 207,000 people signed up for insurance through the marketplace since the first open enrollment period.
The conclusion that the ACA is very important to Wisconsinites across the state is bolstered by the recent release of 2013 data through the Census Bureau’s Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE). The 2013 data, which reflects the pre-insurance marketplace status, shows the uninsured rate by county in Wisconsin. The county level data helps illustrate that access to affordable insurance had been a widespread problem in our state.
A short WCCF analysis of the new NHIS and SAHIE data contains a map of the county-level uninsured rates. The map shows that high uninsured rates were not restricted to a few urban areas like Milwaukee, but have been a challenge throughout Wisconsin, and particularly in the state’s rural regions.
In short, the release of this new data serves as a reminder that not only has the Affordable Care Act been successful in helping people across Wisconsin access health insurance, but that recent efforts to repeal the ACA or undermine it through Supreme Court cases like King v Burwell would have devastating effects on people throughout our state.
Read more about the new data here.
Sashi Gregory and Jon Peacock
