Going into President Barack Obama's last year in office, progress has stalled on reducing the number of uninsured Americans under his signature health care law, according to a major survey out Thursday.
The share of U.S. adults without health insurance was 11.9 percent in the last three months of 2015, essentially unchanged from the start of the year, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. The ongoing survey, based on daily interviews with 500 people, has been used by media, social scientists, and administration officials to track the law's impact.
Release of the latest installment comes after the Republican-led Congress voted to send legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act to Obama's desk. The president is certain to veto it, but opponents say that will only help their strategy of keeping “Obamacare” alive as a political issue in the presidential election.
The sharp drop in the uninsured rate seen in 2014 - the first year of the law's major coverage expansion - now has leveled off, Gallup said in its analysis of the latest findings.
“This validates concerns that similarly large reductions may not be possible in the future because the remaining uninsured are harder to reach or less inclined to become insured,” the analysis said. “Future reductions will likely require significant outreach and expanded programs targeting those who have not yet taken advantage.”
The survey period included the first two months of the health law's 2016 open enrollment season, which ends January 31. That covered the first big sign-up deadline, which was December 15 for those wanting coverage effective at the start of the year.
Gallup-Healthways said it expects results for the first three months of 2016 to show another decline in the uninsured rate. How big remains to be seen.
Going into President Barack Obama's last year in office, progress has stalled on reducing the number of uninsured Americans under his signature health care law, according to a major survey out Thursday.The share of U.S. adults without health insurance was 11.9 percent in the last three months of 2015, essentially unchanged from the start of the year, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. The ongoing survey, based on daily interviews with 500 people, has been used by media, social scientists, and administration officials to track the law's impact.Release of the latest installment comes after the Republican-led Congress voted to send legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act to Obama's desk. The president is certain to veto it, but opponents say that will only help their strategy of keeping “Obamacare” alive as a political issue in the presidential election.The sharp drop in the uninsured rate seen in 2014 - the first year of the law's major coverage expansion - now has leveled off, Gallup said in its analysis of the latest findings.“This validates concerns that similarly large reductions may not be possible in the future because the remaining uninsured are harder to reach or less inclined to become insured,” the analysis said. “Future reductions will likely require significant outreach and expanded programs targeting those who have not yet taken advantage.”The survey period included the first two months of the health law's 2016 open enrollment season, which ends January 31. That covered the first big sign-up deadline, which was December 15 for those wanting coverage effective at the start of the year.Gallup-Healthways said it expects results for the first three months of 2016 to show another decline in the uninsured rate. How big remains to be seen.
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