Census data released Tuesday shows pieces of the Affordable Care Act already in place did little to change the uninsured rate in the United States between 2011 and 2012. The law’s major coverage insurance provisions, which include an expansion of Medicaid and federal subsidies to help individuals afford private insurance, won’t begin until 2014.
A new regulation in the Affordable Care Act requiring insurers to cover adult children of enrollees up to age 26 contributed to a 2.2 percent decrease in the uninsured rate among 19 to 25-year-olds between 2010 and 2011, but this change leveled off in 2012. About 27 percent of people in this group were uninsured in 2012 and they are a major target of ACA outreach efforts. Coaxing young people, who tend to be healthier than other age groups, into the private insurance pool will help offset the cost of covering older and sicker Americans.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member