The rate among U.S. adults declined to 11.9% in the first quarter 2015, a drop one percentage point from the previous quarter and 5.2 points since before the Act went into effect, according to the Gallup Poll.
The percentage Americans was about 14% early in 2008, rose to over 17% in 2011, and peaked at 18% in the third quarter 2013. The rate has fallen sharply since the mandate took effect at the beginning 2014, Gallup noted.
“An improving economy and a falling unemployment rate may also have accelerated the steep drop in the percentage over the past year,” the polling firm noted. But it said the fact that the rate is lower than it was prior to the economic recession suggests that economic conditions alone do not account for the recent decline in the rate.
These results are based more than 43,500 interviews conducted in January, February and March as the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.