Low-income workers make big gains under Medicaid expansion

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A new study from the Urban Institute shows 10.6 million adults aged 18 to 64 gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act from September 2013 to September 2014. The study used the Health Reform Monitoring Survey to examine health and economic outcomes for adults and families covered under ACA.

Working adults saw the largest gains under ACA's Medicaid expansion. Uninsured low-income workers targeted by Medicaid expansion (those with a family income at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level) fell to 30.1 percent, a 13.4 percent drop.

In past reports, the Urban Institute has said uninsured rates will drop across all racial and ethnic groups with continued Medicaid expansion.

Workers in expansion states made stronger coverage gains than their counterparts in non-expansion states. By September 2014, just before ACA's second open enrollment period, the uninsurance rate for working adults in expansion states was 8.4 percent and 12.5 percent in non-expansion states.

A July 2014 study from the Urban Institute showed that most of the remaining uninsured at that time lived in non-expansion states. The uninsured are also more likely to be Spanish speakers, unmarried and have less than a high school education, FierceHealthPayer reported.

To learn more:
- here's the study

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