Uninsured veterans in the US: greater expansion and take-up of Medicaid and marketplace coverage has the potential for coverage gains

Uninsured veterans in the US: greater expansion and take-up of Medicaid and marketplace coverage has the potential for coverage gains

Collection:
Health Policy and Services Research
Author(s):
Banthin, Jessica S., author
Haley, Jennifer M., author
Simpson, Michael, (Of Urban Institute), author
Contributor(s):
Health Policy Center (Urban Institute), issuing body.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, issuing body.
Publication:
Washington, DC : Urban Institute, November 2023
Language(s):
English
Format:
Text
Subject(s):
Health Equity
Health Policy
Medicaid
Medically Uninsured -- statistics & numerical data
Veterans -- statistics & numerical data
Veterans Health
United States
United States. Department of Veterans Affairs
Genre(s):
Technical Report
Abstract:
Given their military service on behalf of our country, assuring access to health insurance coverage for veterans is a priority. Many people believe that uninsurance is not a problem for veterans due to the Veterans Health Administration within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). While the VA is an important source of coverage for veterans, eligibility is restricted to certain priority groups, such as those who have service-connected disabilities or who have low incomes. Further, even for those who are eligible, not being enrolled or being too far from VA facilities and clinics can make use of their services infeasible. Consequently, most nonelderly veterans are covered by private insurance through their employment while others purchase coverage in the nongroup market or enroll in Medicaid, either in addition to or instead of using VA coverage. Yet, prior research has found that uninsurance among veterans remains a problem. In this brief, we provide an updated analysis to identify the sources of coverage for nonelderly veterans in the US in 2024 and estimate what share of veterans would be uninsured and how their rate of uninsurance could vary by whether their state has expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). We also estimate how many uninsured veterans are likely to be eligible for Medicaid or qualify for subsidized Marketplace coverage yet remain uninsured in 2024 and how many could become eligible for Medicaid if their state expands. We then use detailed 2021 data to compare the characteristics of uninsured veterans to uninsured nonveteran adults and assess the characteristics of uninsured veterans.
Copyright:
Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-DC license. (More information)
Extent:
1 online resource (1 PDF file (16 pages))
Illustrations:
Illustrations
NLM Unique ID:
9918734183906676 (See catalog record)
Permanent Link:
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918734183906676