Article Courtesy of ACA InternationalMost states saw private health insurance coverage decrease during the economic downturn between 2008 and 2010, then stabilize between 2010 and 2012, according to a recent Census Bureau report.Between 2008 and 2010, 45 states and Washington, D.C., had decreases in the percentage of residents under the age of 65 who had private insurance. In 32 of these 45 states, the loss of private insurance outpaced the gains in public coverage (which includes Medicaid and other medical assistance programs), resulting in an increase in the uninsured rate.Nationwide, the percentage of Americans under the age of 65 who had private insurance decreased from 66.1 percent in 2008 to 62.5 percent in 2010."In periods of economic downturn, the ability of individuals to access and afford private health insurance becomes more limited," the report noted.Between 2010 and 2012, the percentage of Americans with private insurance decreased by only 0.4 points as the economy began to improve. Most states (32) and D.C. did not have a statistically significant change in the percentage of residents who had private insurance.Of these 32 states and D.C., 17 had increases in the public insurance rate, which in most cases caused a reduction in the uninsured rate.Nationwide, the uninsured rate increased by 1.2 percent between 2008 and 2010, then decreased by 0.8 percent between 2010 and 2012.Between 2011 and 2012, the total number of Americans who had health insurance of any kind increased from 260.2 million to 263.2 million, according to a separate Census Bureau report released in September.
