Medicaid Expansion Cut Uninsured Rate in Rural America

A new report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families and the University of North Carolina Rural Health Research Program states that the uninsured rate has decreased by more than half for low-income, non-elderly, rural adults in Medicaid expansion states under the ACA. Examining the uninsured rates over the last ten years can be seen in the graph to the right, demonstrating a growing gap in coverage between people in expansion states and those in non-expansion states with the uninsured rate at 16% in expansion states verses 32% in non-expansion states. Some states, such as Colorado, Nevada, Kentucky, Oregon, New Mexico, Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Michigan, and West Virginia, have experienced a drop of more than 20 percentage points in the uninsured rates among non-elderly adults in rural areas. This report demonstrates a need for Medicaid expansion and should urge policymakers to use the expansion as a tool for expanding coverage in rural areas.