An Affordable Care Act application and enrollment help sign stands outside a Westside Family Healthcare center in Bear, Delaware.Bloomberg/Getty Images
An annual survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded the sharpest drop in uninsured adults in 2014 since the survey began in 1997. The uninsured rate among adults under 65 dropped from 20.4 percent in 2013 to 16.3 percent in 2014. The uninsured rate among adults 19-25, especially, saw progress from 31.3 percent uninsured to 26.9 percent in 2014.
The growing prevalence of insurance reflects the start of Obamacare’s expanded coverage in January 2014. In states that accepted Medicaid expansion with Obamacare, the percentage of insured adults dropped from 18.4 to 13.3 percent — 2 percentage points more than the drop in states that refused the expansion.
But there’s still much more to do before all Americans have health insurance. The survey found that a total of 36 million people were uninsured at the time the survey was taken. Now, a Supreme Court decision is expected within the week on King v. Burwell, which will determine if the insurance subsidies given to 6.4 million Americans through the Affordable Care Act are constitutional. If not, then President Obama’s signature legislation could be crippled.
Photos: Every National Monument President Obama Has Declared
The Organ Mountain Desert Peaks National Monument (New Mexico): The 496,000 acre land near Las Cruces, N.M. holds rich scientific and historical value. The land was a training site for the Apollo Space Mission and World War II aerial targets, as well as a heritage site containing early pictographs from Native Americans Les McKee—APThe San Juan Islands National Monument (Washington): A chain of 450 islands located in Washington State's Puget Sound, the monument offers visitors the chance to experience the natural beauty of the undeveloped, rugged landscape.Craig Hill—MCT/Getty ImagesThe Río Grande del Norte National Monument (New Mexico): Located northwest of Taos, the Río Grande del Norte contains stretches of the Río Grande Gorge and is known for its spectacular landscapes, recreational opportunities, and for serving as an important habitat for many birds and wildlife.Robert Alexander—Getty ImagesThe Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument (Maryland): A new national park, located on Maryland's Eastern Shore, commemorates the life of the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad.
MPI/Getty ImagesThe First State National Monument (Delaware): This new monument will tell the story of the early Dutch, Swedish, Finnish and English settlement of the colony of Delaware, as well as Delaware's role as the first state to ratify the Constitution. Shown above: Mill buildings standing along Brandywine creek north of Wilmington, Del.Walker Evans—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImageThe Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument (Wilberforce, Ohio): The home of Col. Charles Young, a distinguished officer in the United States Army who was the third African American to graduate from West Point and the first to achieve the rank of colonel.MPI/Getty ImagesCesar E. Chavez National Monument (California): The home of the famous civil rights activist and labor leader, known as La Paz, spans 116 acres in Kern County, Calif. The property was also the former headquarters of the United Farm Workers. Arthur Schatz—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesChimney Rock National Monument (Colorado): Located in the San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado, the monument encompasses 4,726 acres and an archaeological site. The site is the ancestral home of the Pueblo Indians.Hyoung Chang—Denver Post/Getty ImagesFort Ord National Monument (California): Fort Ord served as an army post from 1971 to 1994. It was one of the most desirable posting locations because of the scenic views and proximity to beaches. Fort Ord is now a beautiful recreational area with unique landscape features that everyone can enjoy. Vern Fisher—APFort Monroe National Monument (Virginia): Fort Monroe is a former U.S. military base, but its history goes back much further. The land was integral to the original Jamestown colony settlers and was set up as a key defense point under John Smith, Christopher Newport, and the Virginia Company in the early 1600s. Stephen M. Katz—APPrehistoric Trackways National Monument (New Mexico): Prehistoric Trackways is the 100th U.S. National Monument and the first designated by Barack Obama. Located in the Robledos Mountains of southern New Mexico, the monument site includes a vast array of fossilized footprints, plants, and petrified wood from the Paleozoic Era. AP
