--- description: States that implement Medicaid expansion and state exchanges are seeing a faster reduction in uninsured rates than resisting the new law title: Rate of Uninsured Drops Faster in States Embracing Obamacare image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Uninsured Rate Dropping Faster in States Embracing Obamacare Provisions by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 16, 2014 2:54 PM CUT by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 16, 2014 2:54 PM CUT States that have implemented core functions of the Affordable Care Act have seen a faster decline in the rate of uninsured residents compared to those that haven’t done so, according to a new [Gallup](http://www.gallup.com/poll/168539/uninsured-rates-drop-states-embracing-health-law.aspx?utm%5Fsource=alert&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=syndication&utm%5Fcontent=morelink&utm%5Fterm=Well-Being "undefined") poll. In states that implemented a Medicaid expansion and a state marketplace, the rate of uninsured dropped 2.5 percent since 2013, down to 13.6 percent from 16.1%. Meanwhile, in states that did not apply the measures, the rate of uninsured people dropped 0.8 percent, hitting 17.9 percent, down from 18.7%. 21 states and the District of Columbia have implemented both Medicaid expansion and a state health insurance marketplace. 29 states, including Texas, Florida and Mississippi have applied one or neither of the Affordable Care Act’s central mechanisms. The nationwide rate of uninsured, meanwhile, has [dropped](http://time.com/52294/uninsured-rate-obamacare-affordable-care-act/ "undefined") to 15.6 percent, its lowest level since 2008\. The rate of uninsured peaked at 18.0 percent before the health exchanges opened in the third quarter of 2013. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/64999/uninsured-rate-obamacare/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/64999/uninsured-rate-obamacare/"},"headline":"Uninsured Rate Dropping Faster in States Embracing Obamacare Provisions","datePublished":"2014-04-16T14:54:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:20:02.098Z","description":"A new Gallup poll finds that states where a Medicaid expansion has been implemented and a state marketplace to buy coverage has been established are seeing their uninsured rates drop quicker than states that haven't yet done so","url":"https://time.com/64999/uninsured-rate-obamacare/","keywords":["Obamacare"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/64999/uninsured-rate-obamacare/","name":"Uninsured Rate Dropping Faster in States Embracing Obamacare Provisions"}}]}] ```