According to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services research first made available to sources, a record-low 8 percent of Americans lacked health insurance at the beginning of the year.
The department’s analysis of household survey data shows that since 2020, more than 5 million additional people have obtained coverage.
Democrats temporarily increased insurance premium subsidies and increased outreach to help people sign up for Obamacare plans made possible by the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which resulted in the drop.
The number of states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA increased the number of people insured, and states that received additional Medicaid funds during the pandemic were required to maintain the majority of Medicaid patients enrolled until the public health emergency was over.
What is about to take place?
The record low uninsured rate might not last very long.
Democrats are still unsure of whether they have the necessary support to prolong premium subsidies, which were increased through the 2021 American Rescue Plan but are set to expire at the end of the year, for an additional three years.
For individuals who already qualified for aid, subsidies grew more generous, cutting both premiums and deductibles. They were recently made available to anyone making more than $54,360 per year, or more than four times the federal poverty level.
The Senate may consider a domestic policy package this week that includes a three-year extension. A proposal that was made in a previous draught of the bill does not include new incentives for the twelve states who have not expanded Medicaid.
Additionally, when states start to wind down Medicaid once the Biden administration declares the COVID-19 public health emergency over, millions of Americans might lose coverage.
In his campaign, President Biden advocated for reviving the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which many Democrats felt fell short of their expectations and which the Trump administration intended to repeal.
The amount of staff members accessible to help with enrollment through HealthCare.gov has increased by four times. Since the ACA’s inception, the biggest expansion of health care has been made possible by the more generous subsidies passed in 2021.
Although Biden currently enjoys bragging rights, they could not last.
In a tweet, Biden posted a tweet where he says: “Thanks to Obamacare, and the improvements we made to it in the American Rescue Plan, the uninsured rate hit its lowest point ever today. Pretty cool, huh, @BarackObama?”
Thanks to Obamacare, and the improvements we made to it in the American Rescue Plan, the uninsured rate hit its lowest point ever today.
Pretty cool, huh, @BarackObama? https://t.co/rA7qneY23N
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 2, 2022
To this tweet, Barack Obama replies:
You bet, Joe. 31 million folks enrolled and the lowest uninsured rate ever. Now Congress needs to pass the Inflation Reduction Act to build on this progress. https://t.co/P23rP0K6J2
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 2, 2022
