Census Bureau: Poverty, uninsured rates declined in 2016

The U.S. Census Bureau announced on Tuesday that 2.5 million fewer people lived in poverty in 2016, and the uninsured rate was 8.8%, down from 9.1% in 2015.

According to new data, 40.6 million people lived in poverty last year, down 0.8 percentage points from 2015. It’s the second consecutive annual decline for the measure.

Additionally, the number of people without health insurance declined to 28.1 million. By comparison, the uninsured rate in 2013—before the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate—was 13.3%, or 42 million people.  Between 2015 and 2016, 39 states saw reductions in the number of individuals without healthcare coverage. Private health insur­ance continued to be the most prevalent type of coverage at 67.5%, compared to the 37.3% who have government-supported coverage.

The bureau also reports the categorical breakdown of insurance coverage:

• 55.7% had employer-based insurance coverage;
• 19.4% had Medicaid;
• 16.7% had Medicare;
• 16.2% directly purchased coverage; and
• 4.6% had military cover­age.

Read the reports here: Income and Poverty in the United States: 2016 and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2016.