Record Low Percentage without Health Insurance

The percentage of Americans without health insurance fell to a record low of 11.0 percent in the first quarter of 2016, reports Gallup. This is 6.1 percentage points lower than in the fourth quarter of 2013, just before the Affordable Care Act's individual health insurance mandate took effect. Among adults aged 18 to 64, the percentage without health insurance fell from 20.8 to 12.9 percent between 2013 and 2016...

Type of health insurance coverage among adults aged 18 to 64, 1st quarter 2016

(and percentage point change since 4th quarter 2013)

Current or former employer: 43.4% (–0.8)

Direct purchase: 21.8% (+4.2)

Medicaid: 9.4% (+2.5)

Medicare: 7.6% (+1.5)

Military/veterans: 5.2% (+0.6)

Union: 2.6% (+0.1)

Other: 4.4% (+0.9)

No insurance: 12.9% (–7.9)

Source: Gallup, U.S. Uninsured Rate at 11.0%, Lowest in Eight-Year Trend