Almost 90 percent of U.S. adults now have health insurance


A new Gallup survey shows that almost 90 percent of American adults have health insurance, an increase from eight in 10 in 2013.
The number of adults without insurance reached 11.9 percent for the first three months of 2015. That number marks the lowest level of uninsured U.S. adults since Gallup began tracking the number in 2008.
The increase is due, at least in part, to the Affordable Care Act, Gallup noted. Gallup estimates that 14.75 million adults have obtained health insurance since 2013, just before the Affordable Care Act's open enrollment season started. The largest gains in coverage have been among Hispanics and adults making less than $36,000 a year.
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"The Affordable Care Act had three major objectives: increase coverage, slow the rate of increase in costs, and improve health," Dan Witters, research director for the poll, told the Times. "The first one is clearly a win. Coverage is increasing; there is no question about it."
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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
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