Uninsured rate falls again

April 13, 2015 at 03:40 AM

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The uninsured rate for U.S. adults ages 18 and older fell again in the first quarter, according to Gallup.

Jenna Levy, a Gallup analyst, reported that finding in a summary of results from the company's tracking polls.

The overall uninsured rate fell to 11.9 percent during the quarter, down from 12.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014, and down from 15.6 percent in the first quarter of 2014.

The uninsured rate was 17.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013, before the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) public exchange system opened and the PPACA Medicaid expansion program started to take effect.

The percentage of Gallup survey participants who say they get their health coverage from Medicare or Medicaid has increased to 16.3 percent, from 13 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The percentage who say they have individual or family coverage has increased to 21.1 percent, from 17.6 percent.

The percentage who say they have employer-sponsored coverage has fallen to 43.3 percent, from 44.2 percent.

The uninsured rate for all subgroups Gallup tracks is lower than it was in late 2013, but the uninsured rates for some subgroups remain high.

Among people who classify themselves as Hispanic, for example, the uninsured rate fell 8.3 percent percentage points — to 30.4 percent. Hispanic participants still had a higher uninsured rate than any other subgroup included in the report.

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