Uninsured Rate Increases for First Time Since 2009

From Families USA (http://www.familiesusa.org):

The U.S. Census Bureau released devastating news on health coverage: In 2018, the number of uninsured individuals in America increased by 1.9 million, bringing the uninsured rate from 7.9% in 2017 to 8.5% in 2018. This is the first year-to-year increase in the uninsured rate since 2009.

There is no question this increase in the uninsured rate is due in large part to the Trump administration’s policies that sabotage access to health care for millions of children, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities. Trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act and reduce the number of people receiving Medicaid are clear indications that the President has turned his back on those in need of coverage.

Drops in Medicaid coverage make up the lion’s share of the decline in the number of uninsured people. And burdensome, unnecessary, and likely illegal state-level paperwork barriers approved by the administration are driving Medicaid disenrollment.

A very disturbing aspect of the data released today is that, despite the past few years’ economic boom, the Census reports a shocking increase in uninsured rates among children:

• Latino children were more likely to be uninsured than children from other groups, attributable in part to the Trump administration’s harsh policies related to immigration and health care that cause a chilling effect on enrollment.
• States that did not expand Medicaid had twice as high of an uninsured rate among children as expansion states (7.9% vs 3.9%), highlighting the importance of adult Medicaid expansion for children’s access to coverage.
• Children whose families earn less than 100% of the federal poverty level have the highest uninsured rate of any children’s income group (7.8 percent).

Later this month look for a report from Families USA that will underscore the need for more robust policy actions to help increase the number of children who are insured and improve their health care outcomes.

Whether a newborn baby, a working parent, or a senior with a debilitating illness, people deserve access to high-quality, affordable health care. There are many elected officials who have worked across the aisle crafting legislation that will do just that. For those who have not, we as advocates need to hold them accountable for improving, not undermining, health coverage and care.