When Obamacare launched its glitchy insurance marketplace in October 2013, a measly 106,000 people signed up for new health plans in its first month. That was then. A quick checkup on the health of the Affordable Care Act finds that it is alive and kicking—for now.
• Nearly 30 million Americans have gotten health insurance under Obamacare.
• The rate of uninsured adults has dropped to 12.3%.
• Number of adults without health insurance in 2013: 41 million. Today: 30 million
• Percentage of insurance exchange customers who’d previously been uninsured: 57%
• Annual number of people who would be uninsured over the next decade if not for Obamcare: 24 to 27 million
• The Congressional Budget Office’s latest estimate of how much Obamacare’s subsidies will cost: $209 billion less than projected
• 43% of Americans say they have an unfavorable view of Obamacare. Yet, many Americans approve of most of its major components:
Insurance exchanges/marketplaces: 78% approve
Subsidies for buying insurance: 76% approve
Medicaid expansion: 75% approve
Requiring large employers to insure workers: 60% approve
Requiring individuals to buy insurance: 35% approve
• Percentage of Americans who say Obama care has…
…helped them or their families: 19%
…hurt them or their families: 22%
…had no direct impact on them: 57%
• Percentage of Democrats who say Obamacare has helped them: 28%
• Percentage of Republicans who say Obamacare has hurt them: 43%
• The average change in insured Americans by county between 2013 and 2014: +6.1%
• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has said that Republicans will “make every effort we can to repeal” Obamacare. In his home state of Kentucky, the rate of insured adults rose an average of 9.8% across all counties.
• Number of times Congress has voted to repeal Obamacare (so far): 56
• 63% of Americans say Republicans have no alternative to Obamacare.
• 22 states have not adopted Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion.
• Uninsured who are in the “coverage gap” due to lack of Medicaid expansion: 3.7 million
• Americans who could lose subsidies for federal insurance exchanges if the Supreme Court rules against them later this year: 13.4 million
• Of the 8.2 million people who could lose their insurance altogether, nearly 10,000 could die annually due to lack of coverage.
• 53% of Americans have not heard of this Supreme Court case.
• Reasons Americans say they’re still uninsured:
Insurance is too expensive: 48%
Unemployed/insurance not offered at work: 12%
Immigration status: 7%
Think they don’t need it: 6%
Oppose Obamacare/prefer to pay tax penalty: 3%
