A new study that looks at data as far back as the mid-1970s shows that uninsured rates have increased among young adults over time--but the Affordable Care Act is making a dent in the numbers. The study, published by Health Affairs, looked at 20 national surveys from 1977 to 2013, finding that uninsurance rates among those ages 18 to 30 rose from 11.7 percent in 1977 to a high of 26.2 percent in 2009.
However, the 2010 ACA provision that allows individuals to remain on a parent's insurance through age 26 caused a "modest" drop in the uninsured rate of 23- to 26-year-olds from 28.4 percent in 2010 to 24.4 percent in 2013. In addition, the study authors noted a "striking" amount of change between uninsurance rates of whites, blacks and Hispanics over the decades. Study