A new Gallup Pollindicates that states that have actively implemented the Affordable Care Act have seen a significant drop in the number of uninsured individuals.
Across the board, states that implemented both the Medicaid expansion and state/partnership exchange aspects of the ACA saw the largest reductions in uninsured rates. States that partially implemented the expansion measures generally saw reductions, but the effect was less drastic.
Arkansas, one of the top five least-insured states last year, saw the most extreme change, decreasing from a 22.5 percent uninsured population to 12.4 percent.
Utah is one of five states that did not see a decrease in the number of uninsured individuals. Currently, Utah maintains a 15.6 percent uninsured population, the same percentage as last year’s poll.
Nationally, 17.3 percent of U.S. adults reported living without health insurance in 2013; however, this rate has since declined to 13.4 percent. Despite these noted improvements, a majority of Americans continue to disapprove of the Affordable Care Act.