Number of Americans Without Health Insurance Falls, Survey Shows

[n2doc]

Source: NYT

Federal researchers reported on Tuesday that the number of Americans without health insurance had declined substantially in the first quarter of this year, the first federal measure of the number of uninsured Americans since the Affordable Care Act extended coverage to millions of people in January.

The number of uninsured Americans fell by about 8 percent to 41 million people in the first quarter of this year, compared with 2013, a drop that represented about 3.8 million people and that roughly matched what experts were expecting based on polling by private groups, like Gallup. The survey also measured physical health but found little evidence of change.

The findings were part of the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative examination that is considered a gold standard by researchers. It interviewed about 27,000 people in the first quarter, fewer than Gallup, which interviewed 45,000 people in the second quarter alone. But researchers say it is considered particularly trustworthy because federal interviewers conduct the survey in Americans’ homes. It also sets a federal level that others can use as a benchmark.

Larry Levitt, a director at the Program for the Study of Health Reform and Private Insurance at the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health research organization, said the first-quarter findings “dramatically understate the effect” of the law, as almost half of the people who signed up for insurance during the open enrollment period did so in March and did not get their insurance cards until later. Private surveys have shown that there were eight million to 10 million fewer uninsured by the second quarter, he said.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/16/us/number-of-americans-without-health-insurance-falls-survey-shows.html

[SpankMe]

1. Color me surprised. n/t

[merrily]

2. Wasn't that a major reason for enacting ACA,

to reduce the number of people who lacked health insurance (or were underinsured)?

So, it's succeeding in what it was designed to do because Americans are obeying the law. Good.

[zipplewrath]

3. Watch those victory laps

Analysts have scrambled in recent months to measure the effects of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s signature health insurance overhaul, by drawing on data trickling in from the early months of this year from health insurance plans, hospital associations and other sources. But experts caution that those ups and downs will not say much about the change, and that a meaningful analysis will only be possible once data from later months accumulate.

“It is too early,” said Jonathan Gruber, an economist at M.I.T. whose work was used in shaping the law. “This is really a three-year process of implementation,” he said, pointing out that federal estimates assume the law will take three years to take full effect, similar to the timing around health care overhaul in Massachusetts. “Trying to draw strong conclusions from one quarter of one year is impossible.”

Know one really knows, including folks who helped implement this law. And sadly, because of the economic downturn from which we really haven't recovered, previous data suggested that we are basically back down to the level of uninsured that existed when Obama took office. Things would assuredly be somewhat better if the states had implemented the Medicaid extensions. At best we've taken one step forward and one step back. In a couple of years we might be able to finally see some improvement in uninsured, in medical bankruptcy, and over all health conditions. But it is really too early to tell. One of the weakest components is the employer based insurance, with employers looking (and finding) ways around the law.

Anecdotally, I've known a few folks that have been directly affected by the ACA, and other than many who saved some money on premiums, not much else has changed. And they are finding that their cheaper plans (surprise surprise) don't have as wide of participation by providers. There is a real danger of "anticapointment" here especially among the population that may have had unreasonable expectations for what they were getting. This isn't universal health care and their health plans aren't going to provide them with "free" health care. Those that are expecting that are going to be disappointed.

[merrily]

4. Believe me, I am not taking victory laps over ACA.

It disappointed me very much. However, I thought I would praise whatever improvement I could.

"Just when I thought I was out, they keeping pulling me back in."

[A Round Tuit]

5. And there will be a problem:

The survey also measured physical health but found little evidence of change.

As the old saying goes, "lead a horse to water....etc, etc.

There are many that will simply not take advantage of the wondrous system of ACA, no matter how well publicized or how favorably it is presented.

I feel for the older citizens that do not really understand how to gain care under the ACA, or the poorly educated or the non-English speaking, or those that live in the shadows, the underpass dwellers, the doorway sleepers. Every life is precious.

I'm not intimately familiar with the ACA, yet, I'm still studying it, but as far as I know, there is nothing in it to provide for an intensive education effort for those folks that do not have internet access or family members or friends that can help them. I could be mistaken...I certainly hope that I am.

A lot of folks forget about the rural areas of the US, the Appalachian foothills, the Native American "reservations", etc, where government information is either ignored or not effectively disseminated. I once worked in a volunteer program wherein we attempted to educate the "uneducated", for want of a better word, about various government programs available to them.

In a lot of cases, pride stood in the way. But for the most part, it was just a simple matter of not ever having been told as to how to go about getting it. Bear in mind, this was in the late '80's, before the electronic media burst onto the scene, but even now, I still see many that are simply not aware, simply do not know. Having access to the internet is no guarantee that someone will spend the time researching such mundane topics as the ACA...not when so much else is available and practically rammed down their throats.

We've come a long ways, made a lot of progress, but still have a long way to go.

[KansDem]

6. THANKS, OBAMA!!!

[samsingh]

7. every Democrat should be out selling this and trumpeting it for the extreme success

it truly is

[Arugula Latte]

8. That's just terrible! Obama is trying to kill us alllllll by getting us insured!

[quadrature]

9. 20.4 % --> PPACA -->18.4 % uninsured ... worth it?

everybody not with a group,
had their insurance canceled.

worth it?