Survey: Number of uninsured adults in U.S. rose by 2 million this year

A new survey finds that health insurance coverage for adults in the United States has fallen by about 2 million this year.

In the second quarter of 2017, from April to June, the uninsured rate among U.S. adults reached 11.7 percent, which comes after hitting a record low of 10.9 percent at the end of 2016, according to the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index released Monday. The Associated Press first reported on the survey.

While the change may appear small at 0.8 percentage points, the survey analysts note that the difference is “statistically significant given the very large sample sizes involved.”

{mosads}The new uninsured numbers come as GOP Senate leadership looks to push their new healthcare bill that repeals and replaces ObamaCare to a vote as lawmakers return from the Fourth of July recess.

An analysis by the Congressional Budget Office found about 22 million more people would likely become uninsured under the new GOP measure over the next 10 years than if ObamaCare stayed in place.

The AP reports that this survey “serves as a kind of early indicator, publishing several months before the nimblest government surveys.”

The Gallup–Sharecare survey also indicates that out of the almost 2 million people who dropped out of coverage, younger adults tended to be the majority of losses, as well as individuals who purchased health insurance policies on their own.

The losses may be a result of ObamaCare’s loss of insurance companies in the market and rising premiums.

The survey’s data is based on telephone interviews with nearly 500 people each day. 

The new survey randomly sampled 45,087 adults from April 1 to June 30 with a margin of error of 1 percentage point.