Skip to main content
EVENT TRACKER
Keep track of rescheduled, canceled industry events with our COVID-affected event tracker - Powered by Snap Finance
Close
Sister Publication Links
  • Rubber & Plastics News
  • European Rubber Journal
tb-logo
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • OPINION
    • CORONAVIRUS
    • AUTO INDUSTRY
    • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
    • COMMERCIAL TIRE
    • FACTORY FIXES
    • GOVERNMENT & LAW
    • INTERNATIONAL
    • MOTOR SPORTS
    • NEW PRODUCTS
    • RETAIL TIRES
    • SERVICE ZONE
    • SEMA/AAPEX
    • SMALL BUSINESS
    • TIRE MAKERS
    • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      Vaccine may usher sense of normalcy
      Cover-up: More retailers requiring face masks to curb COVID
      USW alleges COVID-19 violations at Kumho plant
    • Stengel promoted to president of NAPA parent Genuine Parts Co.
      Former auto exec Tyrone Jordan joins Cooper board of directors
      Bridgestone crafts virtual city to showcase sustainable-mobility initiatives
      Ford, Hyundai earn 2021 top North American vehicle honors
    • New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      H&H broadens precure OTR business with Continuum mold acquisition
      Apollo to raise prices of Vredestein brand, effective March 1
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
    • Gary Price to head Love's Truck Care operations
      TA opens 6th Oregon location, bringing 50 jobs to area
      Love's opens Speedco shops in Ariz., Calif., Ga.
      TIA adds more Spanish language training
    • New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
      Wireless auto data debate continues
      World rubber demand in 2021 to recover to 2019 levels — IRSG
    • Point S Canada adds 61 stores to network in 2020
      New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      Ferentino Tyre opens Sri Lanka plant; eyes exports to U.S., Europe
      Sailun to expand Vietnam plant capacity over three years
    • TGI secures Cosmo-brand naming rights at Fla. race track
      Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg postponed until April
      MotoGP extends Dunlop race tire contract through 2023
      Revived Yokohama Drivers Cup to feature Ferrari, Porsche models
    • Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
      The new One: Nokian unveils all-season passenger tire
      Ford, Hyundai earn 2021 top North American vehicle honors
      BKT expanding its ATV/UTV lineup with Sierra Max Pro radials
    • Point S Canada adds 61 stores to network in 2020
      J.D. Power survey: Quick greeting key to customer satisfaction
      Apollo to raise prices of Vredestein brand, effective March 1
      Marko Ibrahim promoted to president, Bridgestone Retail Operations
    • Point S Canada adds 61 stores to network in 2020
      J.D. Power survey: Quick greeting key to customer satisfaction
      ASE opens registration for upcoming certification testing
      Bolt On, Global Payments aim for easier text payments for auto repairs
    • Denver's Brian Sump named AAPEX Shop Owner of the Year
      DUB, TIS Wheels founder Myles Kovacs is SEMA Person of the Year
      AAPEX: Using social media to promote your business
      AAPEX: Road trips trending, commuting on the wane
    • Vaccine may usher sense of normalcy
      2020 Review: PPP loans give boost to small businesses
      Latest COVID relief bill includes $325B in small-business support
      AAPEX: Do more cars in the shop mean more profit?
    • Apollo to raise prices of Vredestein brand, effective March 1
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
      Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
      Michelin completes rigid dump-truck tire lineup
    • Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      7 questions to ask consumers when they need tires for a crossover SUV
      Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      Stocking Tires for Crossover SUVs
  • SHOP FLOOR
    • BALANCING
    • DEMOUNTING
    • SAFETY
    • TIRE REPAIR
    • TPMS
    • TRAINING
    • VEHICLE LIFTING
    • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Video: Balancing Tire
      Choosing the right balancing equipment
      Safety tips for wheel balancing
      An introduction to wheel balancing
    • Video: Demounting
      Demounting Equipment
      Making rims ready for a tight seal
      Tire changer types, tips and trends
    • Video: Safety
      Making friends with OSHA
      Ergonomics on the shop floor
      Customers
    • Video: Tire Repair
      Tire repair: Shining a light on visual inspections
      Staying safe when repairing a tire
      Essential tools, materials and equipment for tire repair
    • Video: TMPS Service
      Decoding sensor data for TPMS diagnosis
      Replacement TPMS sensor overview
      The life-saving work of TPMS
    • Video: Training
      Advantages of apprentice program partnerships
      Options and resources for CE tech training
      Internship ideas to attract tech talent
    • Video:Vehicle Lifting
      All types of lifts for all types of work
      Tips and recommendations for lifting safety
      The gravity of proper lift points
    • Video: Wheel Torque
      Using torque sticks to speed service times
      The danger of too much, too little torque
      The importance of torque specifications
  • Multimedia
    • VIDEOS
    • PHOTOS
    • PODCASTS
  • Events
    • ASK THE EXPERT
    • LIVESTREAMS
    • WEBINARS
    • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
  • Data
    • DATA STORE
  • Resources
    • DIRECTORY
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • ADVERTISE
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
October 05, 2015 02:00 AM

Number of Americans lacking health insurance dropped in 2014

Crain News Service
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    This infographic from the U.S. Census Bureau's “Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2014” report shows the uninsured rate by state last year.

    By Jerry Geisel, Crain News Service

    WASHINGTON (Oct. 5, 2015) — The number and percentage of uninsured Americans plunged in 2014, the U.S. Census Bureau said Sept. 30 in a report.

    Triggered by key provisions of the healthcare reform law that went into effect last year, 33 million people lacked coverage in 2014, down 8.8 million compared with the 41.8 million without coverage in 2013.

    Similarly, the percentage of the population who were uninsured dropped in 2014 to 10.4 percent, down from 13.3 percent in 2013.

    That surge in coverage will not only help millions of previously uninsured Americans, it also could benefit employers because medical providers are seeing a decline in uncompensated care — a cost they shifted, when possible, to those with employment-based coverage in the form of higher charges.

    That coverage expansion “should eventually lead to a lowering of the cost of uncompensated care that otherwise would fall on the shoulders of those who pay for health coverage,” said Gretchen Young, senior vice president of health policy with the ERISA Industry Committee in Washington.

    While dramatic and in sharp contrast to the six prior years when coverage rates were relatively stable, last year's steep fall in the number and percentage of the uninsured was not unexpected.

    That is because key provisions of the healthcare reform law — lowering of Medicaid eligibility requirements in states that chose to do so, the opening of public health insurance exchanges and the extension of federal premium subsidies to the lower-income uninsured — first took effect in 2014 and were widely expected to have a big impact on the uninsured rate.

    Indeed, the Census Bureau, in its report, notes that the decreases in the uninsured rates “are consistent” with what the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) intended.

    “Based on family income, some people may have qualified for subsidies or tax credits to help pay for premiums associated with health insurance plans. In addition, the population with lower income may have become eligible for Medicaid coverage if they resided in one of the 24 states (or the District of Columbia) that expanded Medicaid eligibility,” the Census Bureau said in the report.

    For example, 61.7 million people, or 19.5 percent of the population, were covered by Medicaid in 2014, up sharply from 2013 when 54.9 million, or 17.5 percent of the population, were covered by Medicaid.

    On the other hand, employment-based coverage remained nearly stable. In 2014, 175 million people, or 55.4 percent of the population, had employment-based coverage, which is statistically unchanged from 2013, when 174.4 million, or 55.7 percent of the population, had employment-based coverage.

    That stability is in sharp contrast to predictions following passage of the ACA in 2010, when critics warned that some employers would drop coverage because of the availability, for example, of federal premium subsidies to individuals.

    In fact, some employers — in anticipation of stiff ACA penalties — may have eased health plan eligibility requirements, while employees who previously declined coverage enrolled in plans in 2014 to avoid ACA penalties assessed on those lacking coverage, said Steve Wojcik, vice president of public policy at the National Business Group on Health in Washington.

    The report also found that at 3.3 percent, Massachusetts had the lowest uninsured rate of any state, down from 3.7 percent in 2013.

    At the other end of the spectrum, Texas had the highest uninsured rate of any state: 19.1 percent in 2014, down from 22.1 percent in 2013.

    This report appeared on the website of Crain's Business Insurance magazine, a Chicago-based sister publication of Tire Business.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Tire Business would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor Don Detore at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Newsletter Center

    Staying current is easy with Tire Business delivered straight to your inbox.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Subscribe to Tire Business

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Tire Business is an award-winning publication dedicated to providing the latest news, data and insights into the tire and automotive service industries.

    tb-logo
    Reader Services
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Site Map
    • Industry Sites
    • Order Reprints
    • Customer Service: 877-320-1716
    Partner Sites
    • Rubber & Plastics News
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Automotive News
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Media Guide
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Classified Rates
    • List Rental
    • Digital Edition
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • OPINION
      • CORONAVIRUS
      • AUTO INDUSTRY
      • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
      • COMMERCIAL TIRE
      • FACTORY FIXES
      • GOVERNMENT & LAW
      • INTERNATIONAL
      • MOTOR SPORTS
      • NEW PRODUCTS
      • RETAIL TIRES
      • SERVICE ZONE
      • SEMA/AAPEX
      • SMALL BUSINESS
      • TIRE MAKERS
      • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • SHOP FLOOR
      • BALANCING
      • DEMOUNTING
      • SAFETY
      • TIRE REPAIR
      • TPMS
      • TRAINING
      • VEHICLE LIFTING
      • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Multimedia
      • VIDEOS
      • PHOTOS
      • PODCASTS
    • Events
      • ASK THE EXPERT
      • LIVESTREAMS
      • WEBINARS
      • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
    • Data
      • DATA STORE
    • Resources
      • DIRECTORY
      • CLASSIFIEDS
    • ADVERTISE
    • DIGITAL EDITION