Study: Half of uninsured eligible for Medicaid or Marketplace subsidies

About half of U.S. residents without health insurance are eligible for Medicaid or subsidized coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, according to a study released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The share of uninsured residents eligible for those two forms of assistance ranges from 35% in Nebraska and Texas to 75% in West Virginia, the authors estimate. About four in 10 uninsured residents are ineligible for financial assistance because they have access to employer-sponsored insurance, earn too much to qualify for premium tax credits or are undocumented immigrants, the study found. In addition, one in 10 uninsured residents fall in the coverage gap in the 20 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, meaning they earn too much for Medicaid but not enough to qualify for Marketplace assistance. The findings are based on data from the 2015 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement and other sources.