The number of uninsured people fell significantly since the ACA was signed in 2010, but has rising again since 2016. However, Hispanics and Blacks are still the most uninsured ethnicities in the U.S. Uninsured rates tend to be higher in groups with low-income jobs, which pay too much to qualify for public insurance and too little to afford private insurance. Language barriers and immigration rules also affect these groups more than other ethnic groups.
Enrollment in Medicaid is on the rise, which provides health care to low-income citizens or lawful permanent residents. Enrollment in 2018 was estimated to be 74.8 million. The number of Americans with private health insurance began to fall in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but the numbers have been rising slowly again since 2013. In 2017, 62.6 percent of Americans had private health insurance.
Public opinion on ACA has been split down the middle since it was enacted in 2010. As of January 2019, 51 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of it, whilst only 40 percent had an unfavorable opinion of it. Many Americans have employer-sponsored health insurance, but the average annual deductibles for this type of insurance is on the rise. This means that the amount the employees must pay out of pocket before the insurance plan start to pay is increasing.
