Three new briefs look at how many adults ages 18 to 64 gained insurance coverage and access to care through the first Affordable Care Act open enrollment season. The briefs—prepared by researchers at the Urban Institute with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Urban Institute—find that the share of working adults without insurance fell by 25.3 percent between September 2013 and September 2014. During the same period, the coverage gap between rural and urban communities closed considerably due to large gains in rural communities. The share of adults without insurance fell 28.9 percent in urban areas, and by 36.0 percent in rural communities.
The briefs also find that the largest gains in coverage were made in states that expanded Medicaid. Nearly 92 percent of employed adults in states that expanded the program have insurance, while just 88 percent of their counterparts in non-expansion states have coverage. Similarly, the share of adults without insurance living in rural communities in Medicaid expansion states fell by 9.0 percentage points, while falling by 6.8 percentage points in rural communities in states that did not expand Medicaid.
The third brief finds the number of adults reporting difficulties with access to health care providers abated somewhat. In September 2013, 43.8 percent of people surveyed reported having difficulty with provider access. By September 2014, the percentage of people reporting similar problems was down to 39.9 percent.
“This new evidence shows that the share of Americans without health insurance is continuing to decline, and that rural-urban and income gaps in coverage are narrowing,” said Kathy Hempstead, who directs coverage issues at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Another important finding is that Americans appear to have improved access to care, and are less likely to report having trouble making an appointment to see a doctor.”
Read the full briefs here:
Access to Health Care Providers Improved between September 2013 and September 2014
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To speak with an expert about today’s findings, please contact Frank Walsh at 504-309-5164 or [email protected].
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