The Affordable Care Act could fix a growing problem in the United States, according to Bloomberg.com.
Data from the Commonwealth Fund says the law—or what many call “Obamacare”—could close the widening gap between those who have health insurance and those who have little coverage or no health insurance at all.
According to a report released Friday from the nonprofit group, approximately 84 million individuals were underinsured or had no insurance. This number is up 3 million since 2010 when the law was signed.
It's 20 million more than the number in 2003. Around 80 million adults chose not be treated by a doctor o fill a prescription for cost reasons even though they were in nee d of medical attention.
In January of 2014, when the main parts of the law take effect, at least 85 percent of those individuals will be able to obtain some sort of health insurance.
According to a statement by Sara Collins, vice president for affordable health insurance at the Commonwealth Fund, satisfaction will simply not be achieved at the beginning of next year.
“It will be critical to continue to monitor the effects of the law as the major provisions go into effect in 2014 and beyond to ensure it achieves its goal of near-universal, comprehensive health insurance,” she said.
The New York-based group also said about 55 million of the 84 million individuals were without health insurance in 2012. 30 million had insufficient coverage—meaning their insurance didn’t provide enough protection from the costs of health. This was determined by examining the amount people paid out-of-pocket in contrast to how much they make a year.
The Congressional Budget Office projects the affordable care act to give health insurance to approximately 27 million people by 2021. The nonprofit group says this is a “a fundamental transformation in their health insurance system.”
