Chris Jennings
September 17, 2013
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimates that nearly 6 out of 10 uninsured Americans – more than 20 million people – will be able to access low-cost, high value health insurance for under $100 per person per month starting in 2014, including tax credits and Medicaid. This shows that competition, holding insurance companies accountable, and premium assistance for those that need it, have great potential to deliver affordable health care insurance options to Americans.
Open enrollment begins in all states Oct 1, 2013. Go to www.healthcare.gov
Census data highlight the progress we have made in ensuring that children have access to health insurance. In 2012, the share of children under 18 without health insurance fell to 8.9 percent, substantially lower than the overall uninsurance rate of 15.4 percent. This rate of uninsurance among children is the lowest since the Census Bureau implemented its current method for measuring insurance status in 1999, and very likely the lowest since Census began collecting data on children’s insurance in 1987. It is the fruit of more than two decades of bipartisan effort to expand access to care for children through the Medicaid program and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, most recently via the Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2009, which President Obama signed into law in one of his first acts as President in February 2009.
And contrary to the claims of Affordable Care Act opponents that the ACA would accelerate the disappearance of employer coverage, the Census data shows a continued stabilization in the share of Americans with private insurance.
Nearly 8 out of 10 uninsured Americans – more than 30 million people — would have qualified for health coverage at less than $100 per month per person if all states had expanded Medicaid.
In short, over 2 out of 10 uninsured Americans will not qualify for Medicaid in 2014 due to States’ declining to expand Medicaid – even though federal funds would finance 100 percent of the costs of covering this population in 2014.
So this news gives us proof that the Affordable Care Act can and will reverse the trends that have led to an increasing number of uninsured Americans, especially among young people. It gives us confidence that affordable health coverage will be easily in reach for the majority of uninsured Americans in 2014. This majority would soar to 8 out of 10 uninsured Americans if all Governors followed the lead of the Republican Governors in States like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, and North Dakota.
As more Governors prioritize their citizens’ health, their health care infrastructure, and their economy over fighting old political battles, we can together ensure that health care is affordable and accessible to all Americans, providing greater economic opportunity and security for middle class families.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/09/17/america-s-uninsured-progress-and-prospects-2014?utm_source=snapshot&utm_medium=email&utm_content=091713-blog