Census report aims to shed light on insurance controversies
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released a report providing rankings to states based on the number of people that have access to health insurance coverage. The report showed that, in many states, a large portion of consumers were still lacking health insurance coverage. The Census report has since been used as a way to generate more controversy over the country’s new health care reform law. The Census Bureau has issued a new report, which was released earlier this month, documenting the state of the country’s health insurance industry as a whole, rather than breaking states down individually.
Report shows the num
ber of insured people has gone up
The Census report aims to alleviate some of the controversy generated by previous publications by providing more information concerning health insurance in the U.S. According to the report, the number of uninsured Americans has fallen for the first time since 2007. The report indicates that this is a direct result of the Affordable Care Act, which expanded the eligibility of dependents who could continue to receive health insurance coverage. The law made it possible for those 26-years old and younger to remain on the health insurance plans of their parents, thus enabling 540,000 young people to receive coverage in 2011.
Insurance becoming more available, but also more costly
Throughout 2011, the number of uninsured Americans throughout the country fell from 49.9 million in 2010 to 48.6 million. Approximately 15.7% of Americans are currently without some form of health insurance coverage. The level of Americans with private insurance coverage (64%) remained stable through 2011. Despite the apparent successes seen in the health insurance industry, the Census report shows that the cost of both medical care and health insurance coverage has risen over the past year. This is due mostly to new policies coming from the federal government.
Census report does not account for the future impact of Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act is still not fully implemented and will not be until 2014. When t he law is fully enacted, the health insurance industry is expected to see even more dramatic change, especially in the introduction of state-based health insurance exchanges. The Census report provides insight on how the health insurance industry has been impacted thus far, but does not account for how the federal law will affect the industry in the future.