Uninsured Rate Keeps Dropping in Pennsylvania, Census Says

The number of people without health insurance in Pennsylvania continues to decline, reaching what Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s office says is the lowest uninsured rate on record.

U.S. Census Bureau data released this week shows Pennsylvania’s 2016 uninsured rate at 5.6 percent, tied for the 12th lowest rate in the nation.

That’s down from 9.7 percent in 2013 and 6.4 percent in 2015. The national uninsured rate was 8.6 percent last year.

The Census Bureau estimates 700,000 Pennsylvanians lacked health insurance last year, about 500,000 fewer than in 2013.

Pennsylvania expanded Medicaid in 2015 under the Obama administration’s signature health care law, and Wolf’s administration says more than 1.1 million Pennsylvanians are covered through the law’s Medicaid expansion or individual policies sold through the Healthcare.gov exchange.