After years of health coverage gains following the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a new study shows uninsured rates are rising. The latest installment of the Commonwealth Fund ACA Tracking Survey, conducted in February and March, found that the uninsured rate among working-age people is 15.5 percent, up from 12.7 percent in 2016, meaning an estimated 4 million people lost coverage.
The uninsured rate is up significantly for lower-income adults living in households earning less than 250 percent of poverty, or about $30,000 for an individual, report researchers Sara Collins, Munira Gunja, Michelle Doty, and Herman Bhupal. It now stands at 25.7 percent, up from 20.9 percent in 2016.