Media reports about the relative success or failure of "Obamacare" focus on the 2-3 million who have enrolled in private health insurance on the exchanges. Since that amounts to just 1% of the population, we conclude that the program is not working.
But those numbers don't begin to show the achievements of health reform.
An attempt to find current numbers of enrollees in all of the new programs -- from CHIP to Medicaid expansion to adding young adults to policies to the federal and state exchanges -- was an exercise in frustration. Most of what I found was outdated (CHIP data ending in 2012, for example) or state-specific. So it seemed worthwhile to try to gather all of the hard-to-find data in one place.
Here's the full picture (with links).
CHIP: Children's Health Insurance Program
Authorized in 1997 (Clinton) and reauthorized and expanded in 2009 (Obama)
8.1 million children enrolled in 2013 (must re-enroll each year)
Medicaid Expansion
Affordable Care Act in 2010 (Obama)
6.3 million new Medicaid and CHIP enrollees in the 25 states that allow it (since October 1, 2013)
Young Adults Added to their Parents' Insurance
Affordable Care Act in 2010 (Obama)
6.6 million (as of June 2012 -- no more recent data available)
New Insurance Policies Purchased on the Federal and State Exchanges
Affordable Care Act in 2010 (Obama)
3.23 million (unofficial estimate)
That's 24.23 million Americans who now have health insurance that was not available to them before. There were 50.7 million uninsured Americans in 2009, prior to the ACA passing in Congress.
We're half-way to the goal.
But those numbers don't begin to show the achievements of health reform.
An attempt to find current numbers of enrollees in all of the new programs -- from CHIP to Medicaid expansion to adding young adults to policies to the federal and state exchanges -- was an exercise in frustration. Most of what I found was outdated (CHIP data ending in 2012, for example) or state-specific. So it seemed worthwhile to try to gather all of the hard-to-find data in one place.
Here's the full picture (with links).
CHIP: Children's Health Insurance Program
Authorized in 1997 (Clinton) and reauthorized and expanded in 2009 (Obama)
8.1 million children enrolled in 2013 (must re-enroll each year)
Medicaid Expansion
Affordable Care Act in 2010 (Obama)
6.3 million new Medicaid and CHIP enrollees in the 25 states that allow it (since October 1, 2013)
Young Adults Added to their Parents' Insurance
Affordable Care Act in 2010 (Obama)
6.6 million (as of June 2012 -- no more recent data available)
New Insurance Policies Purchased on the Federal and State Exchanges
Affordable Care Act in 2010 (Obama)
3.23 million (unofficial estimate)
That's 24.23 million Americans who now have health insurance that was not available to them before. There were 50.7 million uninsured Americans in 2009, prior to the ACA passing in Congress.
We're half-way to the goal.
See also: You Can't Get Obamacare
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