HHS reports 40% decline in uninsured black Americans with the Affordable Care Act
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a new report March 8 that shows historic gains in healthcare coverage among black Americans. The report, produced by researchers in HHS's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), shows that since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) coverage provisions beginning in 2010, the uninsured rate among black Americans under age 65 decreased from 20 percent in 2011 (about 7.1 million people) to 12 percent in 2019 (about 4.4 million people), a decline of 40 percent.
The report also highlights the Biden-Harris Administration’s legislative and administrative actions over the past year to expand affordable coverage options through American Rescue Plan subsidies, a Marketplace Special Enrollment Period (SEP), and enhanced outreach to Black Americans.
“Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act nearly 12 years ago, the law has significantly expanded access to life-saving health coverage, including for Black communities across the country,” said Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure in a prepared statement. “Advancing health equity is one of my top priorities, and, in pursuit of this goal, CMS invested in significant outreach to the Black community during this recent Open Enrollment period. The coverage gains achieved during Open Enrollment are just a first step – CMS will continue to advance health equity by expanding coverage access through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare and the ACA Marketplaces.”
The report shows that states that have not expanded Medicaid have the highest percentage of uninsured adults and children who are black. If the remaining 12 non-expansion states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) were to expand Medicaid, HHS estimates 957,000 black Americans without insurance coverage now would become eligible for Medicaid coverage.
To further expand healthcare coverage among Americans, particularly during the pandemic, administration made a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) available on HealthCare.gov from Feb. 15 to Aug. 15, 2021, to offer quality, affordable health insurance plans. Many of the approximately 30 million uninsured Americans are members of communities of color, and health coverage has been perceived as out of reach because of cost. With increased subsidies from the American Rescue Plan (ARP), 76% of uninsured black Americans could find a plan on Healthcare.gov for less than $50 a month, and 66 percent could find a plan for $0 a month in 2021.
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Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: dfornell@innovatehealthcare.com