Despite minimal change over the course of the year, the uninsured rate remained below 2014 rates each quarter, and remains 5.2 percentage points below the rates in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to survey data.
While Gallup indicated the first quarter of 2016 is likely to show more of a decline due to open enrollment, it said the stalled progress in 2015 supports concerns the Affordable Care Act may have neared its limit because those who remain uninsured are most difficult to reach.
Gallup notes the greatest gains in health coverage have been among Hispanics, blacks and lower-income Americans, all groups which had higher uninsured rates to start with. Nonetheless, the survey indicated, these groups remain more likely to be uninsured than the rest of the population.
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