ACA Round-Up: CDC Reports Long-Term Coverage Gains, Shorter-Term Stall; Risk Corridor Briefs Filed; And More

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released their Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January to March 2017. The survey shows that during the first three months of 2017, 500,000 fewer people were uninsured than in 2016, but 20.5 million fewer than in 2010. The former change is not statistically significant; the latter number is significant in every respect. This pattern is repeated throughout the report. By every measure, insurance coverage improved for every group measured—children, adults, young adults, the poor, the near poor, the non-poor, Hispanics, blacks, Asians, whites, and others—in 2013, 2014, and 2015, but has not changed significantly since. Although small changes were noted for 2017, virtually none were statistically significant. Another steady change since 2010 has been the growing prevalence of high-deductible health plans, with or without a health savings account. The percentage of persons under age 65 with private insurance coverage covered with a high-deductible health plan (with a deductible of at least $1,300 for an individual or $2,600 for a family) has increased from 25.3 percent in 2010 to 42.3 percent in the first three quarters of 2017. Sixty percent of these enrollees do not have a health savings account. As the percent of Americans who are insured has steadily increased, the percent who are largely self-insured for most of the medical costs they experienc...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Following the ACA Insurance and Coverage risk corridor payments uninsured rate Source Type: blogs