The Commonwealth Fund issued a report on how healthcare coverage and access has fared under the ACA.
For the report, researchers examined recent U.S. Census Bureau and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. They specifically focused on the time period between 2013 and 2016.
Here are five findings.
1. The uninsured rate for adults ages 19 to 64 fell in all states and Washington, D.C., during the studied time period, according to the report. In all but three states, the uninsured rate fell by at least 5 percent.
2. The uninsured rate for children also widely declined between 2013 and 2016. This decline was by at least 2 percent in 33 states, according to the report.
3. Access to care also improved under the ACA. The share of adults age 18 and older who said they skipped a physician visit when needed because of cost in the last year decreased. That share was 16 percent nationally in 2013 but fell to 13 percent in 2016, according to the report, which adds that share fell decreased by at least 2 percent in 36 states and Washington, D.C. Greater declines were seen, on average, in Medicaid expansion states.
4. The Commonwealth Fund said the share of at-risk adults who had not had a routine checkup in at least two years fell from 14 percent to 12 percent nationally during the studied time period.
5. Report authors concluded, "These findings offer evidence that the ACA has improved access to healthcare for millions of Americans. However, actions at the federal level — including a shortened open enrollment period for marketplace coverage, a failure to extend CHIP funding, and a potential repeal of the individual mandate's penalties — could jeopardize the gains made to date."
Read the full report here.