Health care is key to women’s well-being and economic stability. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as “Obamacare”), insurance is easier to get and afford, and plans can no longer refuse to cover women. Each year, millions of women enroll in insurance plans under the ACA, but the law is under constant threat. Any repeal of the ACA or changes to the Medicaid program threaten the important gains women have made in obtaining quality, affordable health coverage that allows them to stay healthy and economically secure. Recent Census data show that if the ACA is repealed or changes are made to the Medicaid program, women have a lot to lose.

Losing Gains in Health Coverage Nationwide:

  • More than 89.6 million women ages 18–64 across the United States now have health insurance through an employer, the ACA marketplaces, state Medicaid programs, or another source.
  • Between 2013–2016, more than 8.8 million women ages 18–64 gained health insurance coverage.
  • More than 92 percent of women and girls had health insurance in 2016, up 0.4 percentage points from 2015.
  • The uninsurance rate for women ages 18-64 has dropped by 37 percent, from 16.9 percent in 2013 to just 10.6 percent in 2016.

Losing Gains in Medicaid Coverage Nationwide:

  • More than 17 million women ages 18-64 – about 1 in 6 – across the United States now have health insurance through Medicaid.
  • States expanding Medicaid are among those that have seen the largest increases of Medicaid coverage among women ages 18-64, including California, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

Repealing the ACA or changing the Medicaid program puts these millions of women in jeopardy of losing their health coverage.

Health Insurance Coverage of Women 18-64
State Number  of women with health coverage in 2016 Percent of women with health coverage in 2013 Percent of women with health coverage in 2016 Number of women who gained coverage 2013-2016 Health coverage growth rate between 2013-2016
Total 89,627,795 82% 91% 8,861,882 11%
Alabama 1,331,870 81% 87% 90,926 7%
Alaska 185,317 78% 83% 11,471 7%
Arizona 1,807,742 79% 91% 246,071 16%
Arkansas 808,978 77% 90% 115,438 17%
California 11,210,887 78% 93% 1,748,440 18%
Colorado 1,579,272 83% 96% 207,121 15%
Connecticut 1,066,718 89% 93% 51,299 5%
Delaware 278,786 89% 95% 16,857 6%
District of Columbia 241,530 94% 101% 16,372 7%
Florida 5,207,236 74% 87% 786,171 18%
Georgia 2,733,961 76% 85% 317,833 13%
Hawaii 404,194 91% 97% 23,668 6%
Idaho 420,902 78% 89% 49,761 13%
Illinois 3,698,138 84% 91% 281,908 8%
Indiana 1,837,944 82% 90% 167,919 10%
Iowa 889,374 90% 95% 49,399 6%
Kansas 765,632 83% 88% 41,096 6%
Kentucky 1,292,134 80% 94% 188,978 17%
Louisiana 1,262,530 77% 86% 133,173 12%
Maine 374,579 87% 89% 10,399 3%
Maryland 1,800,860 88% 93% 100,823 6%
Massachusetts 2,159,654 96% 98% 47,962 2%
Michigan 2,882,068 86% 93% 214,447 8%
Minnesota 1,610,240 91% 96% 88,137 6%
Mississippi 781,590 76% 84% 67,533 9%
Missouri 1,647,783 83% 88% 92,225 6%
Montana 278,666 78% 90% 37,827 16%
Nebraska 503,022 85% 89% 24,995 5%
Nevada 772,935 74% 90% 136,458 21%
New Hampshire 389,618 86% 92% 24,113 7%
New Jersey 2,545,151 83% 90% 200,180 9%
New Mexico 554,020 75% 88% 78,839 17%
New York 5,931,613 88% 93% 322,977 6%
North Carolina 2,765,597 79% 89% 290,554 12%
North Dakota 205,737 88% 95% 14,445 8%
Ohio 3,345,521 86% 93% 246,029 8%
Oklahoma 962,773 76% 82% 70,939 8%
Oregon 1,170,323 81% 95% 172,908 17%
Pennsylvania 3,701,927 88% 93% 185,827 5%
Rhode Island 327,530 86% 96% 32,752 11%
South Carolina 1,345,647 79% 89% 151,483 13%
South Dakota 222,569 84% 89% 13,681 7%
Tennessee 1,850,287 83% 90% 151,361 9%
Texas 6,700,307 72% 82% 859,019 15%
Utah 796,520 83% 94% 92,838 13%
Vermont 188,700 93% 94% 2,337 1%
Virginia 2,363,914 84% 89% 135,246 6%
Washington 2,097,127 82% 96% 305,196 17%
West Virginia 519,483 79% 91% 65,676 14%
Wisconsin 1,660,890 89% 94% 77,059 5%
Wyoming 147,999 82% 84% 3,716 3%

 

Medicaid Coverage of Women 18-64
State Number  of women with Medicaid coverage in 2016 Percent of women with Medicaid coverage in 2013 Percent of women with Medicaid coverage in 2016 Number of women who gained or lost Medicaid coverage 2013-2016 Medicaid coverage growth rate between 2013-2016
Total 17,417,553 13% 17% 4,422,394 34%
Alabama 212,118 13% 14% 16,493 8%
Alaska 30,970 10% 14% 8,811 40%
Arizona 446,277 16% 22% 137,047 44%
Arkansas 195,950 13% 22% 82,887 73%
California 2,982,078 15% 24% 1,193,105 67%
Colorado 293,421 10% 17% 120,469 70%
Connecticut 220,278 15% 19% 52,178 31%
Delaware 55,126 18% 19% 1,081 2%
District of Columbia 64,204 23% 26% 8,676 16%
Florida 853,057 12% 14% 149,819 21%
Georgia 364,196 10% 11% 53,011 17%
Hawaii 64,859 13% 15% 8,857 16%
Idaho 54,881 9% 11% 10,723 24%
Illinois 719,412 14% 18% 146,246 26%
Indiana 315,581 12% 16% 79,160 33%
Iowa 155,607 13% 17% 37,494 32%
Kansas 79,583 8% 9% 8,599 12%
Kentucky 360,688 13% 26% 186,002 106%
Louisiana 293,932 14% 20% 83,510 40%
Maine 69,674 20% 17% -15,550 -18%
Maryland 300,711 11% 16% 81,060 37%
Massachusetts 513,769 21% 23% 60,984 13%
Michigan 673,531 16% 22% 167,237 33%
Minnesota 290,959 13% 17% 71,332 32%
Mississippi 155,397 16% 17% 7,078 5%
Missouri 195,012 11% 10% -3,207 -2%
Montana 51,655 9% 17% 24,043 87%
Nebraska 46,690 8% 8% 2,044 5%
Nevada 153,829 8% 17% 83,084 117%
New Hampshire 48,568 7% 12% 17,017 54%
New Jersey 412,202 10% 15% 126,059 44%
New Mexico 180,473 18% 29% 69,374 62%
New York 1,567,428 20% 25% 298,967 24%
North Carolina 419,971 11% 13% 66,706 19%
North Dakota 20,937 8% 9% 3,791 22%
Ohio 738,923 15% 21% 213,243 41%
Oklahoma 129,339 11% 11% -1,851 -1%
Oregon 279,258 12% 22% 125,993 82%
Pennsylvania 706,784 14% 18% 163,833 30%
Rhode Island 72,444 15% 21% 20,903 41%
South Carolina 228,667 13% 15% 34,857 18%
South Dakota 22,812 9% 9% -716 -3%
Tennessee 379,547 15% 18% 73,455 24%
Texas 787,850 9% 9% 31,859 4%
Utah 73,150 8% 8% 5,504 8%
Vermont 48,345 22% 25% 4,232 10%
Virginia 217,908 7% 8% 27,595 14%
Washington 416,358 10% 18% 191,520 85%
West Virginia 163,427 15% 30% 76,455 88%
Wisconsin 275,137 15% 16% 6,927 3%
Wyoming 14,580 6% 9% 4,398 43%