89.9 FM Live From The University Of New Mexico
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Uninsured Rate Sees Biggest Increase In Years

Olga Kononenko via Unsplash
/
Unsplash license

The United States Census Bureau has found that the national number of people who are uninsured increased significantly last year. This marks the first such change since the Affordable Care Act took effect in 2010.

And New Mexico’s trend is mirrored by the national numbers.

 

New Mexico’s uninsured rate rose from 9.1 percent to 9.5 percent. That makes it the fourth-largest increase in the nation. The national average stands at 8.9.

 

The amount of New Mexicans who don’t have health insurance went up by 9,000 people last year. That’s the largest rise the state’s seen in at least a decade.

 

The biggest factor in this increase locally and nationally is that fewer folks are enrolling in Medicaid. President Trump’s administration has started asking folks to prove their eligibility more often, and critics of the move say it discourages people from enrolling.

 

***
 
Support for KUNM’s Public Health New Mexico project comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the McCune Charitable Foundation, and from KUNM listeners like you.

May joined KUNM's Public Health New Mexico team in early 2018. That same year, she established the New Mexico chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and received a fellowship from the Association of Health Care Journalists. She join Colorado Public Radio in late 2019.
Related Content