The number of uninsured Americans has decreased nationwide but a disparity still exists between states that have chosen to expand Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and states that have not, according to a recent survey from the Commonwealth Fund.
The 2014 Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey found more than one-third (35 percent) of adults with incomes under the poverty level remain uninsured in states that did not expanded Medicaid in 2014 compared with one-fifth (19 percent) in states that did expand eligibility.
Additional findings from the study are highlighted below.
- Uninsured rates fell most in states that expanded their Medicaid programs (down 11 percent since 2012), including states that run their own marketplaces and those with federally operated marketplaces.
- Of the 29 million adults estimated to still be uninsured at the end of 2014, 61 percent were residing in non-expansion states.
- Nearly half (49 percent) of the remaining uninsured have incomes that would make them eligible for Medicaid if the program was expanded.
- Forty-two percent of the 29 million who were estimated to still be uninsured at the end of 2014 are between the ages of 19 and 34.
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