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In U.S., Uninsured Rate Lowest Since 2008

In the U.S., the uninsured rate dipped to 15.6% in the first quarter of 2014, a 1.5-percentage-point decline from the fourth quarter of 2013. The uninsured rate is now at the lowest level recorded since late 2008.

The uninsured rate has been falling since the fourth quarter of 2013, after hitting an all-time high of 18.0% in the third quarter — a sign that the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as “Obamacare,” appears to be accomplishing its goal of increasing the percentage of Americans with health insurance coverage. Even within this year’s first quarter, the uninsured rate fell consistently, from 16.2% in January to 15.6% in February to 15.0% in March. And within March, the rate dropped more than a point, from 15.8% in the first half of the month to 14.7% in the second half — indicating that enrollment through the healthcare exchanges increased as the March 31 deadline approached.

The results from the first quarter are based on more than 43,500 interviews with U.S. adults from Jan. 2 to March 31, 2014, as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

Fewer Americans Across Age Groups Uninsured in 2014

The Obama administration has made young adults’ enrollment in a health insurance plan a top priority, as healthcare experts say 40% of new enrollees must be young and healthy for the Affordable Care Act to be successful. However, Gallup’s quarterly trends indicate the uninsured rate dropped by about the same amount among adults aged 26 to 64 as it did among those aged 18 to 25 — two points. The uninsured rate among 18- to 35-year-olds fell to 21.7% in the first quarter; the rate fell to 26.4% among those aged 26 to 34, and to 16.1% among those aged 35 to 64.

Read the full report here.

Contact Steven Cosby with questions or to request more information and to schedule a healthcare plan evaluation, savings analysis or group plan solution for your company.

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How Businesses Are Handling New Health Insurance Regulations

Details about enrollment in the Affordable Care Act-created health exchanges have hogged headlines for months.
But a majority of working Americans buy their health insurance policies through an employer. Mercer, a research and consulting firm, surveyed hundreds of businesses after their open enrollment seasons ended to dig up some details about what’s happening with employer-sponsored health plans this year.

The survey included responses from 723 businesses ranging in size from fewer than 500 employees to more than 5,000 employees. The survey was conducted in January and Mercer’s report was released Wednesday.

Among the most significant findings was that many employers took advantage of a delay to a key rule in the Affordable Care Act. Beginning in 2014, employers were supposed to begin offering insurance to employees who work at least 30 hours a week. The federal government delayed the provision until 2015. Mercer’s study showed that about 40 percent of respondents needed to update their policies to comply with this new rule, but that only 10 percent of them made the change in 2015. Just about 60 percent of respondents said they were already in compliance with the regulation before 2014.

Read the full report here.

Contact Steven Cosby with questions or to request more information and to schedule a healthcare plan evaluation, savings analysis or group plan solution for your company.

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5 Ways To Buy Health Insurance Without A Government Exchange

The heart of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Health Insurance Marketplace, opened on October 1, and offers Americans a new way to purchase health insurance, but it is not the only way. Many Americans are reluctant to enroll in a health plan through a government exchange, either for ideological reasons or for privacy concerns.

The launch of the Healthcare.gov website has not gone smoothly, and users are currently finding the site slow, or completely frozen, when attempting to view plans and enroll. State sites have been doing generally better, but some not without their own difficulties.

Read the full report here.