When the Affordable Care Act was first passed in 2010, it was with the intention of providing health care coverage to all who previously couldn’t access it. It was a feat that appeared unattainable, but in recent reports, after six years since its passing, the ACA has triumphed. The program has shown a significant decline in the uninsured, and an increased concern in the public on receiving proper health care coverage as more are insured today, and more people are having to pay less out of pocket on their medical bills.
A recently released Health Interview Survey by the Center For Disease Control and Prevention shows almost a 7% drop in the uninsured—16% in 2010 since the year of the ACA’s inception, to 9.1% by September 2015. Furthermore, there was almost an 8 million person differential from 2014 to 2015 in those who were uninsured, with 36 million were uninsured in 2014 dropping to 28.8 million by September of 2015. This is in stark contrast to 2010, which was prior to the Affordable Care Act, with a staggering 48.6 million people without health coverage. Although Health care stats are in constant flux between the insured and uninsured, per the Health Interview Survey, the lowest documented number of uninsured persons exists in 19 years.
In addition, the Health Interview Survey reveals another beneficial statistic. The Commonwealth Fund blogged that there is a 2.3% decline (from 6.9% to 4.6%) in those who declined necessary medical needs due to the cost of coverage from 2010 to September 2015. While those stats might not seem to reflect a significant jump, it’s a gradual step forward in people of all ages now voluntarily accessing health care thanks to changes in cost. That inevitability trickles into all aspects of health care, from preventative costs to aftercare medical bills.
As the Affordable Care Act continues to help everyone achieve cost effective health care coverage, we can anticipate these numbers of insured growing even more in the years to come. To view the National Health Interview Survey, click here.