Number of uninsured Americans increases by 7m in four years

Source: The Guardian

Number of uninsured Americans increases by 7m in four years

Survey results come after Republican attacks on government-backed health programs, including the Affordable Care Act

Jessica Glenza in New York
Wed 23 Jan 2019 21.10 GMT

About 7 million fewer Americans have health insurance today than did four years ago, a new survey has found, the highest uninsured rate since 2014. The results come after sustained Republican attacks on government-backed health schemes, including the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.

The survey’s findings come as the public is increasingly interested in government-run health programs.

The United States is the only large, highly developed country that lacks universal health coverage. At the same time, healthcare costs in the US are the highest in the world, and can be financially catastrophic.

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The new figures come from a survey, conducted by Gallup, which since 2008 has asked roughly 28,000 people a quarter “Do you have health insurance?”. In 2018, pollsters found 13.7% of Americans lacked health insurance, the highest levels since 2014. The change represents a net increase of 7 million uninsured individuals.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/23/healthcare-us-americans-uninsured-2014-gallup

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Related: U.S. Uninsured Rate Rises to Four-Year High (Gallup)