Obamacare coverage gains starting to erode: Survey

A survey released Monday suggests Obamacare’s coverage gains are beginning to ebb.

The Gallup-Sharecare Wellbeing Index says the number of Americans without health insurance has grown by nearly 2 million since the latter half of 2016. That means the uninsured rate has risen to 11.7 percent, up from a record low of 10.9 percent.

Though a seemingly small change — less than a percentage point — Gallup says the figure is “statistically significant given the very large sample sizes involved.”

The uninsured rate is still more than 6 percentage points lower than it was at its peak in late 2013, or right before then-President Obama offered taxpayer-funded subsidies to those who buy insurance on their own and generous funding to states that opted to expand their Medicaid programs for the poor.

The survey dropped in the middle of the health care debate in the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to marshal 50 votes from his narrow GOP majority to replace and replace Obamacare.

The Republican National Committee touted the survey to highlight Obamacare’s struggles, yet the GOP faces its own headache: the Senate GOP bill is estimated to result in 22 million fewer Americans holding insurance a decade from now, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Some moderate Republicans want to start over with Democratic input, while conservatives say they can still pass a plan by deregulating the Obamacare market to drive down premiums.

President Trump urged senators Monday to get a bill to his desk before the August recess.

“I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new HealthCare bill fully approved and ready to go!” he said on Twitter.

Surveyors said trouble in the Obamacare exchanges could be to blame for the recent increase in the share of uninsured.

Premiums are rising, so people who do not qualify for subsidies could be scared out of the market, while the exodus of insurers from some of the exchange could be driving down competition and deterring customers.

Gallup also said there is more uncertainly about the future of health policy since Mr. Trump took office, since he has given mixed signals about how firmly he will enforce the “individual mandate” requiring Americans to hold insurance.

The recent increase in the uninsured has been concentrated among young adults, rising 1.9 points among those aged 18-25 and 1.5 points among those aged 26-34 since the end of 2016.

Gallup said younger adults might see the penalty for remaining uninsured as a better deal than shelling out extra cash for coverage they do not use as frequently as older Americans.

Young adults are an important demographic for Obamacare’s exchanges, since they tend to be healthy and keep premiums in check. Yet too many of them have resisted the exchanges, resulting in rate increases.

Gallup said over the long term, however, the uninsured rate among young adults has dropped significantly since the individual mandate took effect, likely because they can stay on their parents’ plans until age 26.