U.S. residents are more likely than they were to have health coverage, more likely to have private coverage, and less likely to private non-exchange coverage.
The Census Bureau has published data supporting those conclusions in a release of preliminary data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) program.
The percentage of U.S. residents who had health coverage during the second quarter fell to 12.9 percent, from 16.5 percent in the second quarter of 2013. The historic figures in the new NHIS report go back to 2010. The new overall uninsured rate is the lowest the NHIS team has recorded over that period of time.
The bureau is counting people who get major medical coverage through a Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) private exchange as having private health coverage.
The total percentage of the U.S. population with private health coverage increased to 63.8 percent in the second quarter, from 62.1 percent in the second quarter of 2013. The share of the population with some kind of private coverage is the highest since at least 2010.