A survey conducted by federal researchers has revealed that the number of Americans without any health insurance has significantly declined. This data is based on the first quarter results of 2014 from the first federal measure examining the Affordable Care Act and the number of Americans uninsured.
The survey results has revealed that the total number of uninsured Americans plummeted by around 8 percent, sliding to 41 million people for the first quarter of 2014. An estimate of 3.8 million represents this drop.
These survey findings were part of the National Health Interview Survey, which is considered a "gold standard" by researchers due to its nationally-representative and credible reputation. Polls involved over 27,000 interviewers in the first quarter alone, which were conducted in the homes of Americans themselves.
According to Larry Levitt the findings for the first quarter "dramatically understate the effect" of the law; around half of the survey interviewees signed up for insurance during the open enrollment period in March, failing to get their insurance cards in time for the survey. Levitt is the director at the Program for the Study of Health Reform and Private Insurance at the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health research organization.
Levitt added that private surveys have revealed that the number of uninsured Americans decreased by eight to ten million for the second quarter of the year. "There should be no doubt at this point that the law is increasing the number of people insured," Levitt said.
For the past months, analysts have been conducting studies and reviews in an attempt to measure the effects of President Obama's Affordable Care Act, the government's health insurance overhaul. They draw their data from the numbers released during the first months of 2014 from hospital associations, health insurance plans, and other sources. Still, experts say it will take months before a meaningful analysis is made.