Medicaid Enrollment Decline Seen As Key Factor In 8.5% Uninsured Rate

A drop-off in Medicaid enrollment was the primary driver of the nation’s uninsured rate climbing to 8.5% in 2018 -- the first year since 2009 that the rate increased, according to national census data released Tuesday (Sept. 10). About 17.9% of the country received Medicaid coverage in 2018, down from 18.5% in 2017, the new data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey show . That decline of 0.7 percentage points represents about 2 million fewer people nationwide receiving...