SHADAC Staff

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2016 ACS: Public & Private Coverage Increased Nationally, State Story is Mixed

The U.S. Census Bureau released the full state files for the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) today, including state-level information about health insurance coverage by coverage type.

National Coverage by Type, 2015-2016: Increases across the Board

The ACS found a 0.8 percentage-point national increase in health insurance coverage between 2015 and 2016, from 90.6% to 91.4%. This increase was driven (as was the case last year) by increases in both public and private coverage: Public coverage grew from 34.7% in 2015 to 35.4% in 2016 (a 0.7 percentage-point increase), and private coverage grew from 67.5% to 67.8% (a 0.3 percentage-point increase). [1]

The national overall increase in insurance coverage in 2016 was mirrored by significant overall coverage increases in 39 states (with no state seeing a significant decrease in coverage overall). However, there was variation among states in the extent to which there were coverage changes in rates of public and private coverage in particular, and in whether these changes represented increases or decreases.[2]

Public Coverage Rates by State, All Ages, 2015 to 2016: Changes Similar to Last Year

• Public coverage increased significantly in 29 states and the District of Columbia
• 21 states saw no significant changes in public coverage
• No state saw a statistically significant decrease in public coverage

Private Coverage Rates by State, All Ages, 2015 to 2016: Fewer Increases, More Decreases than Last Year

• Private coverage increased significantly in 13 states, down from 30 states and the District of Columbia in 2015
• 32 states experienced no significant changes in private coverage
• Five states and the District of Columbia experienced significant decreases in private coverage; this contrasts with 2015, when no state saw significant private coverage decreases

Public and Private Coverage Rates by State, All Ages, 2016: State Variation Continued
State variation is seen not only in the prevalence and direction of public and private coverage changes between 2015 and 2016 but also in levels of public and private coverage when looking at the 2016 estimates on their own.

• West Virginia had the highest rate of public coverage in 2016, at 48.4%
• Utah had the lowest rate of public coverage in 2016 (as in 2015), at 21.5%
• North Dakota reported the highest rate of private coverage in 2016 (as in 2015), at 80.5%
• New Mexico (as in 2015) had the lowest rate of private coverage in 2016, at 55.1%.