The ACA has made healthcare more affordable for millions of Americans, according to a study from the Commonwealth Fund.
For the study, researchers compared healthcare access in states between 2013, the year before the implementation of the ACA's major coverage expansions, and 2015, two years after implementation, using the most recent publicly available data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. They also examined the number of individuals younger than 65 with high out-of-pocket costs relative to their income.
Here are seven study findings.
1. While the number of uninsured adults ages 19 to 64 declined in all states from 2013 to 2015, 48 states and the District of Columbia saw this figure drop by 3 percent or more.
2. The greatest cumulative gains came in states that expanded Medicaid when federal resources became available in January 2014, according to the study.
3. For children, uninsured rates declined by at least 2 percentage points in 28 states, the study found.
4. By the end of 2015, the rate of uninsured children was below 5 percent in half of the states. The rate of uninsured children was highest in Texas at 10 percent.
5. The share of adults age 18 and older who reported forgoing a necessary visit to a physician because of costs dropped by at least 2 percentage points in 38 states and D.C.
6. Kentucky saw the largest decrease in the portion of adults who forgo physician visits due to costs (19 percent in 2013 vs. 12 percent in 2015). Arkansas and Oregon, also among the states with the greatest gains in insurance coverage, had the second-greatest improvements (5 percentage points each).
7. From 2014 to 2015, 10 percent to 19 percent of people under age 65 lived in households where out-of-pocket spending on medical care was high relative to annual income.
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