Census data: Uninsured rate goes up in Ohio for first time since 2009

Ohio was one of only eight states in the country to see its uninsured rate climb, according to new federal data (Source: “Ohio one of eight states to see uninsured rate rise, 58,000 more people uninsured,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sept. 10, 2019).  

According to the U.S. Census Bureau data, the number of people in Ohio without medical insurance rose to 744,000 in 2018, up 58,000 from the previous year. Ohio also was one of just four Medicaid expansion states to see its uninsured population increase.

The state increase is part of a national rise in the number of uninsured Americans, from 25.6 million in 2017 to 27.5 million in 2018. Of that 1.9 million increase, 22 percent were children, according to the Census data. This is the first time the national rate has increased since 2009, before the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010.