Thanks to Obamacare, African-American uninsured rates take a dive

Thanks to Obamacare, African-American uninsured rates take a dive

By Kimberly Gedeon

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, the American uninsured rate took the largest plummet we’ve ever seen in 40 years — 16.4 million gained coverage since Obamacare’s passage. African Americans, in particular, saw their uninsured rate take quite a dip, according to the Health and Human Services Department.

It’s been five years since Obamacare has been signed to law and so far, the HHS says, minorities have benefited the most from the Affordable Care Act. The uninsured rate dropped by more than 9.2 percentage points among Blacks and more than 12 percentage points among Latinos. Whites saw their uninsured rate drop by 5.3 percentage points.

These figures may register in your head as just cold statistics, but “these numbers represent real people whose lives have changed for the better,” Meena Seshamani, the director of HHS’s Office of Health Reform, said.

Overall, as a result of the Affordable Care Act, 14.1 million adults obtained health insurance since October of 2013. During this period, Americans saw the uninsured rate plummet from 20.3 percent to 13.2 percent — that’s a 35 percent reduction, the HHS adds.

Another 2.3 million young adults gained health coverage between 2010 and October of 2013.

“When it comes to the key metrics of affordability, access, and quality, the evidence shows that the Affordable Care Act is working, and families, businesses and taxpayers are better off as a result,” HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a statement to Time.

Well, tell that to the Supreme Court. The Affordable Care Act is on the verge of being scrapped as justices heard oral arguments, in opposition of Obamacare, in a case known as King vs. Burrell.

“If the court rules against the administration, customers in two-thirds of the states would be cut off from subsidies, which would create a crisis for both Congress and the White House,” Washington Times wrote.

If the Court decides to gut the health care law, eight mill-ion Americans could lose subsidies that would help them afford their Obamacare plans, HHS said.

Or Congress could act on the budget proposal released this morning. Once again, Republicans are suggesting the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and they’re looking to partially privatize Medicare.

“Congressional budgets do not have the force of law and are largely advisory documents, but they represent the broadest statement of governing philosophy each year and set overall spending levels for the coming fiscal year. And in the coming months, this one may contain language easing passage of taxation and entitlement legislation,” writes The New York Times.