FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 12, 2018
CONTACT: Jon Peacock, Research Director
jpeacock@kidsforward.net, 608-284-0580 x 307
William Parke-Sutherland, Health Policy Engagement Coordinator
WParkeSutherland@kidsforward.net, 608-284-0580 x 317
MADISON, WI – New data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) put in perspective what is at stake if the Affordable Care Act is repealed by Congress or struck down by a pending lawsuit challenging the law’s validity.
The number of Wisconsinites who do not have health insurance increased slightly last year but continues to be far lower than it was before implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to the new survey data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Approximately 208,000 fewer Wisconsin residents were uninsured last year than in 2013, a decline of 40 percent.
The new Census Bureau figures show that the number of Americans without health insurance fell by 17 million from 2013 to 2017, and the percentage who are uninsured continues to be near the all-time low reached in 2016.
The significant gains in health insurance coverage achieved over the last four years could be erased very quickly by a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The Wisconsin Attorney General’s office recently argued in a federal court in Texas that all of the federal health law is invalid and should immediately be suspended. A ruling in that case is expected soon.
Jon Peacock, research director of Kids Forward, said the new data is good news for Wisconsin, but not a reason to be complacent. “With an estimated 309,000 Wisconsinites who are still uninsured, we can do much better,” Peacock said. “It’s time leaders stop undermining the ACA and instead work to make additional policy changes that help everyone in our state have access to quality, affordable health care.”
Peacock recommended two policy measures that he said would help protect and build upon recent gains made in access to health care. “First, our state should take advantage of the part of the ACA that would pay for the expansion of BadgerCare coverage to low-income working adults,” Peacock said. “Second, state policy makers need to adopt measures protecting Wisconsinites from new Trump administration rules that could substantially increase the number of insurance plans that don’t have to cover pre-existing conditions.”
Kids Forward’s analysis of the new data found that the states that expanded Medicaid reduced the number of uninsured by an average of 48.5 percent during the first four years of the major health care reform changes, compared to just 25 percent in the non-expansion states. In each of the four states bordering Wisconsin, all of which have expanded Medicaid, the gains in insurance coverage have been greater than in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin is still among the top ten states in the percentage of people with insurance (tied for 9th), although several Medicaid expansion states, such as Michigan and Kentucky, have caught up to or climbed ahead of Wisconsin since 2013.
Another large batch of Census Bureau survey data will be released on Thursday. That will include state-level data on income and poverty from the American Community Survey. It will also include data on health insurance, poverty and income for all counties and cities that have a population of at least 65,000.
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Kids Forward advocates for effective, long-lasting solutions that break down barriers to success for children and families in Wisconsin. Using research and a community-informed approach, Kids Forward works to help every kid, every family, and every community thrive.