Census Bureau Reports That Fewer Americans Are Uninsured

BY CLINTON MCGUE – The U.S. Census Bureau recently released a report finding that the percentage of people without health insurance declined from 13.3 percent in 2013 to 10.4 percent in 2014. This reflects a reduction of almost 9 million in the number of uninsured Americans. Additionally, the percentage of children under age 19 who were uninsured last year was 6.2 percent, down from 7.5 percent in 2013.

The uninsured rate was relatively stable from 2008 through 2013 until it decreased by 2.9 percent between 2013 and 2014, demonstrating the continued impact of the Affordable Care Act.

The report also showed that California experienced the fifth largest decline among all states as the number of uninsured dropped to 12.4 percent in 2014, from 17.2 percent in 2013. Blue Shield of California looks forward to continuing our efforts to improve affordability and access to care and playing a role in lowering the uninsured rate in California.

Clinton McGue is a communications specialist at Blue Shield of California