The uninsured rate is back on the rise as Obamacare’s premiums have soared and the program faces uncertainty in Congress, according to a new survey.
The new uninsured rate, measured by Gallup and Sharecare, released Friday shows an increase in the third quarter of 2017 to 12.3 percent, a 1.4 percentage point increase from the end of 2016.
(AP Photo)
Gallup said it is now the highest recorded uninsured rate since the last quarter of 2014 when it was 12.9 percent. But it is well below the peak of 18 percent in the third quarter of 2013 before Obamacare’s major expansion was implemented.
Gallup points to several possibilities for the increase in the uninsured rate after the record lows. Obamacare extended coverage to around 20 million people but there are still more than 28 million people uninsured in the U.S.
Several marketplace issues could be driving up the growth in 2017, Gallup said.
“Some insurance companies have stopped offering insurance through the exchanges, and the lack of competition could be driving up the cost of plans for consumers,” it said. “As a result, the rising insurance premiums could be compelling some Americans to forgo insurance, especially those who fail to qualify for federal subsidies.”
But another key driver could be uncertainty over Obamacare’s future.
“Uncertainty about the healthcare law also may be driving the increase. Congressional Republicans’ attempts to replace the healthcare law may be causing consumers to question whether the government will enforce the penalty for not having insurance,” Gallup said.
Gallup and Sharecare also looked into how Americans get health insurance, examining changes to insurance sources for people 18 to 64.
It found that fewer Americans are getting their own health insurance, a nod to problems with Obamacare’s exchanges on the individual market, which is used by people that don’t have insurance through work or the government.
The percentage of adults with self-paid plans declined by 1.3 percentage points since the end of 2016, from 21.3 percent to 20 percent, Gallup found.
Gallup and Sharecare conducted the poll among 45,743 adults ages 18 and older from July 1 to Sept. 30. It has a margin of error of one percentage point.
