Public charge rule increasing number of uninsured people

According to the Washington Post, the Census Bureau recently released a report concerning increases in uninsured people in the U.S., the first increase in a decade. Analysts suggest the trend stems from the Trump administration’s public charge rule. The number of people without health insurance coverage has increased, in large part, due to a decrease in Medicaid enrollment. “People are interpreting ‘public charge’ broadly and even though their kids are eligible for Medicaid because they were born in this country, they are staying away,” says Katherine Hempstead, a senior health policy expert at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Other factors could also be affecting the numbers:

—The report found a statistically significant increase in solid middle-class people who are uninsured. Health care researcher and consultant Brian Blase, who until recently served as a White House adviser, said it appears to reflect people who cannot afford high ACA premiums. Blase said Trump policies rolled out last year should provide better options for this group. The changes include short-term health insurance plans, health reimbursement accounts and association health plans.

—Experts are debating the impact of a strong job market on the decline in Medicaid enrollment. It’s possible that some Medicaid recipients took jobs that boosted their earnings, making them ineligible for benefits. But if those jobs did not provide health benefits, then the workers would become uninsured. The Census Bureau report showed no significant change in workplace coverage.

MHC