AHRQ Stats: The Newly Insured

Between early 2013 and early 2014, about 30 percent of uninsured nonelderly adults gained health insurance coverage. That rate is higher than the 25 percent of those initially uninsured who acquired coverage during a similar time period in 2012 and 2013. Uninsured nonelderly adults in fair/poor or good health (rather than those in very good or excellent health) in early 2013were substantially more likely to have gained coverage in 2014 than their counterparts during the 2012–2013 period. (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief # 467: Transitions in Health Insurance Coverage Over Time, 2012-2014 (Selected Intervals): Estimates for the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Adult Population under Age 65.)

STATISTICAL BRIEF #467:
Transitions in Health Insurance Coverage Over Time, 2012-2014

(Selected Intervals): Estimates for the U.S. Civilian

Noninstitutionalized Adult Population under Age 65

February 2015

Jessica Vistnes, PhD and Steven B. Cohen, PhD

Highlights

Between the first part of 2013 and the first part of 2014, 30.2 percent of non-elderly adults who were uninsured gained coverage. This represents a higher rate of acquiring coverage than for similar time periods in 2012 and 2013 (24.6 percent).
Overall, there was no significant decrease in the likelihood that insured adults lost coverage (5.5 percent between the first part of 2013 and the first part of 2014 and 6.0 percent for similar time periods in 2012 and 2013).
Non-elderly adult Hispanics who had insurance in the first part of 2013 were less likely to lose coverage in 2014 than insured adult Hispanics in the previous period (8.8 percent in 2014 versus 12.1 percent in the 2012 to 2013 period). In addition, adult Hispanics who were uninsured in 2013 were more likely to gain insurance in 2014 (21.4 percent) compared to uninsured adult Hispanics in 2012 (15.8 percent).
Non-elderly uninsured adults who were in good and less than good (fair or poor) health status in the first part of 2013 were substantially more likely to gain coverage in 2014 (28.6 percent for good and 28.9 percent for fair or poor health status) than their counterparts in the period from 2012 to 2013 (19.4 percent for those in good health and 20.9 percent for those in fair/poor health).
Non-elderly adults uninsured in the first part of 2013 with 13 or more years of education were more likely to gain coverage in the first part of 2014 (36.5 percent) than their counterparts in the previous period (29.1 percent).