Obamacare lowers uninsured rate, three studies find

According to three new studies, the health law has in its first year reduced the number of uninsured adults by between 8 million and 11 million, and the majority of enrollees report satisfaction with their plans.

Politico: The Verdict Is In: Obamacare Lowers Uninsured
A survey by the Commonwealth Fund found that 9.5 million fewer adults are uninsured now than at the beginning of the Obamacare enrollment season. The Urban Institute's Health Reform Monitoring Survey found a similar drop, with 8 million adults gaining coverage. And Gallup-Healthways survey reported that the uninsured rate has fallen to 13.4 percent of adults, the lowest level since it began tracking health coverage in 2008. That was all on Thursday. In recent months, other surveys in the Gallup series have consistently found the same downward trend, and a RAND survey in April estimated that the law extended health coverage to 9.3 million Americans (Nather, 7/11). 

Los Angeles Times: Health Law Covers At Least 8 Million
President Obama's health care law has reduced the number of uninsured adults by 8 million to 11 million in its first year, according to three new studies, and the vast majority report satisfaction with their new health plans. The studies -- done separately by the Commonwealth Fund, the Urban Institute and the Gallup organization -- use different methods to estimate the effect that the Affordable Care Act has had (Terhune and Lauter, 7/10).

Los Angeles Times: Rate Of Uninsured Californians Is Halved Under Obamacare, Survey Finds
The percentage of Californians without health insurance was cut in half in the last nine months during the federal health law's expansion of coverage, a new survey shows. Nationwide, an estimated 9.5 million adults under the age of 65 gained health insurance between late summer 2013 and last month, according to a survey the Commonwealth Fund released Thursday (Terhune, 7/10).

Reuters: Californians Lacking Health Insurance Halved Under Obamacare: Study
The number of Californians without health insurance has been cut in half since the implementation of Obamacare, according to a survey published Thursday. The study by the Commonwealth Fund, a healthcare research foundation, showed that about 11 percent of adults in the most populous U.S. state were uninsured as of last month, down from 22 percent in the summer of 2013. California was the first state to pass legislation to set up its own marketplace allowing consumers and small businesses to purchase highly regulated coverage under the Affordable Care Act, and the state has also expanded its Medicaid program, providing insurance to more low-income residents (7/10).

Politico: More Signs That Health Coverage Is Growing Under Obamacare
Millions of Americans have gained health insurance since Obamacare went into effect, according to several new surveys that show the law is bringing down the nation's uninsurance rate after its "train wreck" of a start. Three new surveys released in rapid succession Thursday found substantial numbers of newly insured adults. None of those findings will put to rest the political debate about the cost, structure and wisdom of the Affordable Care Act but they do give advocates firm evidence that the law is meeting coverage goals (Wheaton, 7/10).

Another study finds increased health plan enrollment in areas that saw heavy advertising against the law --

The Hill: Anti-Obamacare Ads Might Have Increased Sign-ups
Millions of dollars in conservative ads against ObamaCare might have backfired and actually boosted enrollment in key states, according to a new study. A fellow with the Brookings Institution found a "positive association" between ad spending against ObamaCare and enrollment in health plans under the law. The trend appeared strongest in states with competitive Senate races this year, where conservative groups are spending widely on ads against the Affordable Care Act (Viebeck, 7/10).