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More NH residents have insurance

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According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of New Hampshire residents without health insurance has decreased from 11% to 6% since 2013. 

More insured thanks to Affordable Care Act

Supporters of the Affordable Care Act see this data as good news. A large portion of those newly insured individuals have gotten insurance through the online health insurance exchange. That includes people eligible for expanded Medicaid, since people participating in New Hampshire’s expanded Medicaid program actually purchase subsidized private insurance through the exchange.

In theory, increasing the number of individuals with insurance decreases health care costs for everyone. More people participating and paying premiums should mean that the cost of more expensive claims is shared across a bigger pool, and that hospitals don’t spend as much on care for people without insurance.

Insurance costs still increasing

However, there is still not enough data to completely prove this theory. In fact, there is some evidence to suggest that expanded insurance coverage increases the number of people seeking expensive treatments and visiting emergency rooms. 

Opponents of the Affordable Care Act point out that a surge in claims from newly insured individuals has contributed to large health insurance premium increases.

Next year premiums on New Hampshire’s online health insurance exchange are increasing over 40%.

On the other hand, those premium increases are also due to uncertainty over whether the federal government will continue various financial assistance programs under the Affordable Care Act.

Do you have an opinion on health insurance coverage in New Hampshire? Let us know in the comments.

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