The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently released a report revealing the national uninsured rate in the U.S. reached an unprecedented low of 7.7% in early 2023. This achievement is attributed to the Biden-Harris administration's efforts, including the American Rescue Plan's enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies and various state Medicaid expansions, according to an Aug. 3 news release.
"The Inflation Reduction Act has played a critical role in helping more Americans afford coverage through the Affordable Care Act," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in the release. "And this year, the nation's uninsured rate reached an all-time low, even breaking last year's record. HHS will continue to do everything we can to help Americans keep or get coverage and have access to quality, affordable health care."
Since January 2021, when the Biden-Harris administration took office, about 6.3 million people have now acquired coverage, the release reported. Since the historic ACA Open Enrollment period ended in January, this is the first data on the uninsured rate.
The nation's uninsured rate decreased to a historic low, beating the previous record, because of the success of that enrollment period, during which a record-breaking 16 million Americans signed up for coverage through HealthCare.gov or state websites, the release noted. As Medicaid coverage renewals start for the first time in three years, the Biden-Harris administration has also been trying to assist Americans in maintaining their coverage.
State governments and other stakeholders have been urged to take action to protect coverage on numerous occasions by Becerra and other members of the administration, according to the release.
The paper, which examines data from the American Community Survey and National Health Interview Survey, demonstrates the significant impact of the Biden-Harris administration's initiatives to improve health care access and reduce costs for American families, the release said. Success can be attributed to the enhanced ACA subsidies and the extension of those subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act, the continuous Medicaid enrollment requirement, a number of recent state Medicaid expansions and the administration's extensive enrollment outreach in 2021-23.
There were significant findings from the report released by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, the release reported. According to fresh information from the National Health Interview Survey, the country's uninsured rate considerably decreased in early 2023 compared to 2020, reaching an all-time low of 7.7% for Americans of all ages in the first quarter of 2023, covering January to March.
Since 2020, 6.3 million people have received access to health coverage, including 5.5 million adults and 0.7 million children, according to the release. The percentage of persons 18 to 64 without health insurance decreased from 14.5% in late 2020 to 11% in early 2023. Children aged 0 to 17 who lacked insurance had a decline from 6.4% in late 2020 to 4.2% in early 2023, after rising in 2019 and 2020.
