News Feature | June 23, 2014

Percentage Of Uninsured Lowest Since 2008

Christine Kern

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

HHS Closes ‘No Hospital’ Loophole In Some Insurance Plans

A Gallup Poll finds a record low number of uninsured

Earlier this month, Gallup released the results of their latest poll tracking the uninsured in America, finding there has been a significant drop in the number of uninsured in the last twelve months. The Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index demonstrated the 13.4 percent average for the second quarter of 2014 is the lowest level recorded since Gallup began tracking this measure in 2008.

The Gallup Poll was based on interviews with more than 30,400 Americans between April 1 and May 31, 2014, and the results marked demonstrated progress in a number of key areas.

  • lower uninsured rate across nearly every major subgroup compared to Q42013
  • 9 of 10 subgroups saw a rate drop
  • rate among blacks dropped the most ‒ falling over 6 percentage points since the end of 2013 to 14.7 percent
  • rate among Hispanics dropped 5.6 percentage points since the end of 2013 to 33.1 percent (still the highest uninsured rate by subgroup)
  • rate among households with less than $36,000 annual household income also dropped a full 6 percentage points to 24.7 percent

The uninsured rate, on average, has dropped more in states that have elected to expand Medicaid and run their own healthcare exchanges than in states that have not. It was only a little over a year ago that the Commonwealth Fund published its Biennial Health Insurance Survey with this opening quote:

Eighty-four million people – nearly half of all working-age U.S. adults – went without health insurance for a time last year or had out-of-pocket costs that were so high relative to their income they were considered underinsured, according to the Commonwealth Fund 2012 Biennial Health Insurance Survey.

Gallup was quick to point out that the steeply declining rate is leveling off compared to recent months and that the rate could go up or down based on a variety of factors. It’s a good data point, however, because open enrollment is generally closed except for special circumstances around “qualifying life events” (like marriage, divorce or birth). The rate could go lower if more states expand Medicaid or if economic conditions (which often include employer sponsored coverage) improve.