The uninsured rate among U.S. adults has dropped yet again and now sits at 12.3 percent, down slightly from 12.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to new Gallup figures.
Gallup pollsters said that they expect the uninsured rate to decrease further given that the PPACA enrollment deadline — originally slated to end Feb. 15 — had been extended for some and pushed back even further in some areas of the country.
Additionally the administration will reopen the exchanges from March 15 to April 30 for a special enrollment period aimed at getting those who realize, while paying their taxes, that they must pay a fine for not obtaining health care coverage in 2014. "This could also drive down the uninsured rate through May," Gallup said.
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Gallup and Healthways said it will publish the results for the entire first quarter in early April, and "if the downward momentum continues, the drop in the uninsured rate may be slightly larger than this preliminary figure."
According to their previous research, some states have experienced stunning drops in uninsured rates over the last year. Arkansas and Kentucky have seen the most improvement in uninsured rates as a result of both expanding Medicaid and using a state exchange.
Figures are based on more than 27,800 interviews conducted from Jan. 2 to Feb. 28, as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
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