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CDC: Slight decrease in uninsured Americans, increase in high-deductible plans in 2016
The number of uninsured dipped slightly from the previous year, according to a recently released report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
Researchers analyzed data from the January to September 2016 National Health Interview Survey to estimate health insurance coverage for the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population. Being uninsured at the time of interview, at least part of the year prior to interview and for more than a year at the time of interview were estimates of lack of health insurance coverage.
Data revealed that during the study period, 8.8% of individuals (n = 28.2 million) of all ages were uninsured at the time of interview, a nonsignificant decrease of 0.3 percentage points from the 2015 uninsured rate of 9.1%. Compared with 2010, there were approximately 20.4 million fewer individuals without insurance coverage in the first 9 months of 2016.
Also during the first 9 months of 2016, 12.3% of adults aged 18 to 64 years were uninsured at the time of interview, 20.3% had public coverage and 69% had private health insurance coverage. In addition, 5% of children aged 0 to 17 years were uninsured, 43.4% had public coverage and 53.5% had private coverage. There was no significant change in the percentage of adults aged 18 to 64 years with private insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace or state-based exchanges (4.9% in the third quarter of 2015 vs. 4.8% in the third quarter of 2016).
Enrollment in a high-deductible private health insurance plan increased from 36.7% in 2015 to 39.1% in the first 9 months of 2016 among individuals younger than 65 years with private insurance.
The CDC updates these estimates on health insurance coverage quarterly. – by Alaina Tedesco
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Disclosure: Healio Internal Medicine was unable to confirm relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.