US uninsured rate rose in 2017, survey shows

US uninsured rate rose in 2017, survey shows

WASHINGTON — The uninsured rate rose by statistically significant margins in 17 states in 2017, the first time since the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014 that any state had a rate increase. Nationwide, an estimated 12.2 percent of Americans were uninsured in 2017.

This is a 1.3-point increase from 2016 and represents roughly 3.2 million Americans.

In 2013 the national uninsured rate hit its peak at 18 percent prior to the implementation of several ACA guidelines. In Alabama the uninsured rate in 2013 was 17.7 percent. In 2017 an estimated 13.3 percent were uninsured.

The data for the survey was collected as part of the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index. The Gallup analysis suggests several factors for the decline, including insurance premium increases in many states, reduced public marketing and uncertainty about the future of the ACA in light of multiple congressional attempts to repeal and replace the plan. (TAB)