Number of Uninsured Americans Rises for Fourth Straight Year

Tags: health coverage | health insurance | healthcare reform | PPACA | uninsurance | uninsured

Roughly 17.1 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 and older did not have health insurance in 2011, making it the fourth straight year the uninsured rate increased, according to a recent Gallup index.

In 2008, roughly 14.8 percent of American adults lacked health insurance. That figure rose to 16.2 percent in 2009 and 16.4 percent in 2010. In 2011, the uninsured rate was more than 17 percent for a majority of the months.

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However, the report indicated one clear outlier resulting from President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law. From 2010 to 2011, uninsured rates for U.S. adults aged 18 to 25 dropped 3.1 percent, the most of any demographic group.

Related Articles on Uninsured Rates:

Study: 9.3M U.S. Adults Lost Health Coverage During Recession

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How Hospitals Can Drastically Cut Down Uncompensated Care

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