The rate of uninsured American adults ticked up a significant 1.3 points year-over-year to close out 2017, according to a Gallup/Sharecare poll.
The rate remained a steady 12.2 percent to close out 2017, but the jump from a record low of 10.9 percent at the end of 2016 signified the biggest increase in uninsured Americans since Gallup started tracking it in 2008.
The 1.3-point increase equals 3.2 million Americans, according to the poll.
However, the poll shows the uninsured rate of 12.2 percent is still well below the 18 percent measured in the third quarter of 2013.
Among subgroups, the biggest jump in the uninsured occurred with non-Hispanic blacks at 2.3 percent increase.
However, Hispanics remain — by far — the greatest uninsured group, at 29.6 percent, to end 2017.
Those making less than $36,000 per year (22.8 percent) and adults in the 26-34 age group (20.1) are the highest of the uninsured adults in those categories, according to survey.
"It seems likely that the uninsured rate will rise further in the years ahead," Gallup/Sharecare writes in its analysis, citing the repeal of the individual mandate.
"Without this requirement to have health insurance, it is likely that some Americans will drop their coverage. Young adults will be most likely to go without health coverage, meaning that they will no longer help offset the costs of older, less healthy adults which will drive up premiums even more," according to the survey.
Gallup/Sharecare conducted telephone interviews Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2017, with a random sample of 25,072 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1 percentage point at the 95 percent confidence level.
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