More Wisconsin residents gained health insurance in 2014, according to information from the U.S. Census American Community Survey— a trend that’s in line with the rest of the U.S. population.

UW-Madison/UW-Extension demographic specialists from the Applied Population Laboratory analyzed data from the American Community Survey to develop a clearer picture of recent changes in health insurance coverage. A Census data brief titled “New Census Data Show Health Insurance Coverage is Up in Wisconsin and Nationally” notes that nationwide, the share of uninsured people dropped from 14.5 percent to 11.7 percent—a 19 percent decrease between 2013-2014.

In Wisconsin, the percent of uninsured residents held steady from 2009-2013 at around 9 percent. But between 2013-2014, the rate of uninsured dropped to 7.3 percent—a decrease of almost 20 percent.

The brief also illustrates the numbers of children and adults ages 18-64 without health insurance; the changes in type of insurance; and insurance coverage by income level. It cites the implementation of major portions of the Affordable Care Act as the catalyst for higher rates of health insurance coverage—particularly among working-age adults. That trend is expected to continue in 2015.

Download a PDF version of the brief here.

For more information, contact Malia Jones, malia.jones@ces.uwex.edu, 608-262-9529.

This story was originally published on the Cooperative Extension News site.