Gallup Poll: More Americans Buy Health Insurance on Their Own
Marguerite Bowling /
Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
More and more U.S. adults get health insurance on their own or through a family member, a new Gallup poll finds.
The survey regularly examines the type of health care coverage chosen by Americans. Before open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act’s online insurance exchange, the survey shows, 16.7 percent paid for insurance plans on their own or were financed by a family member. That number grew to 20 percent by April.
Medicaid, the federal-state health program for low-income Americans, also rose: 9 percent of adults said they were on Medicaid compared with 6.8 percent before open enrollment.
The health law, known as Obamacare, expanded access to Medicaid by requiring all states to increase eligibility. After the Supreme Court struck down that requirement, several states opted to offer their programs to more residents.
Employer-sponsored insurance edged down from 44.4 percent of adults to 43.1 percent during the same period. Gallup said the decline could come from several factors, such as employers dropping coverage for employees, workers opting out of employer plans, or Americans leaving the workforce altogether.
Overall, the percentage of uninsured Americans dropped to 13.4 percent last month, Gallup noted.