An annual survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded the sharpest drop in uninsured adults in 2014 since the survey began in 1997. The uninsured rate among adults under 65 dropped from 20.4 percent in 2013 to 16.3 percent in 2014. The uninsured rate among adults 19-25, especially, saw progress from 31.3 percent uninsured to 26.9 percent in 2014.
The growing prevalence of insurance reflects the start of Obamacare’s expanded coverage in January 2014. In states that accepted Medicaid expansion with Obamacare, the percentage of insured adults dropped from 18.4 to 13.3 percent — 2 percentage points more than the drop in states that refused the expansion.
But there’s still much more to do before all Americans have health insurance. The survey found that a total of 36 million people were uninsured at the time the survey was taken. Now, a Supreme Court decision is expected within the week on King v. Burwell, which will determine if the insurance subsidies given to 6.4 million Americans through the Affordable Care Act are constitutional. If not, then President Obama’s signature legislation could be crippled.
