The uninsured rate held steady from the end of 2015, slightly declining to 8.9 percent, or 28.4 million people, the CDC report says. The uninsured rate had hovered around 15 percent in previous years, until the health care reform law’s expansion of Medicaid to poor adults, and introduction of subsidized private health insurance for low- and moderate-income families became available. A poll the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation conducted in September found that just over one-quarter of Americans were aware that the uninsured rate has never been lower. People 65 years old and older are almost always eligible and enrolled in Medicare, so the uninsured rate for this population consistently is close to zero. The uninsured rate appears likely to remain steady next year, rather than significantly decline, similar to the trend from 2015 to the first half of 2016.

Source: Huffington Post November 03, 2016 03:56 UTC