The uninsured rate in the U.S. has reached a record low from 2010, when the Affordable Care Act took effect, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
An estimated 20 million people have enrolled in health insurance coverage since 2010, a total that includes more than six million young adults who didn’t previously have insurance, according to HHS. “We have seen progress in the last six years that the country has sought for generations. Americans with insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace or through their employers have benefited from better coverage and a reduction in the growth in healthcare costs," said HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. The uninsured rate fell as a result of provisions of the Affordable Care Act such as Health Insurance Marketplace coverage, Medicaid expansion and changes in private insurance that allow young adults to stay on their parent’s health insurance. The law also requires plans to cover people with pre-existing health conditions, further reducing the uninsured rate, according to HHS.Additional enrollment findings in the HHS Health Insurance Coverage and the Affordable Care Act report indicate that 2.3 million young adults gained coverage from 2010 through the start of open enrollment in October 2013 as a result of being able to stay on their parents’ plan until age 26. Another 3.8 million young adults started health insurance between October 2013 and early this year, a 46.5% drop in the number of uninsured young adults in that time, according to HHS.
