Crisis of the Uninsured: 2010 and Beyond

“The CBO estimates that about 32 million individuals will gain health coverage due to the PPACA – about half of whom will be covered by Medicaid. However, about 23 million people will remain uninsured in 2019 – nearly half the 50.7 million today. This figure may be wishful thinking. The penalties for forgoing health coverage are less than the cost of coverage ($695 per individual or 2.5 percent of income). Furthermore, new federal regulations will require insurers to accept all applicants regardless of health status. An unintended consequence of this is that many will wait until they become sick to enroll in health coverage. In the short run, the PPACA may cause 1.4 million people to lose their limited benefit health plans, when new regulations implemented on September 23, 2010, will ban annual caps on benefits.”