ASPE RESEARCH BRIEF ELIGIBLE UNINSURED LATINOS: 8 IN 10 COULD RECEIVE HEALTH INSURANCE MARKETPLACE TAX CREDITS, MEDICAID OR CHIP February 11, 2014 By Emily R. Gee Under the Affordable Care Act, 10.2 million eligible uninsured Latinos gained access to new options for health care coverage on January 1, 2014. 1 Eight in ten, or 8.1 million, of these eligible uninsured Latinos may qualify either for tax credits to purchase coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace (3.9 million) or for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) (4.2 million). If all states were to expand Medicaid, 95 percent of all eligible uninsured Latinos would be eligible for Marketplace tax credits, Medicaid, or CHIP. Of the 41.3 million uninsured nonelderly U.S. citizens and others lawfully residing in the United States (a group referred to as “eligible uninsured” in this brief), 10.2 million people or one in four (25 percent) are Latino. Latinos are uninsured at a much higher rate than the U.S. population overall; 16 percent of all nonelderly U.S. citizens and others lawfully residing are uninsured, while the comparable proportion among eligible Latinos is 24 percent. Location – More than half of the nation’s 10.2 million eligible uninsured Latinos live in California or Texas. The five states with the greatest number of eligible uninsured Latinos are: • California 2.8 million (28 percent of all eligible uninsured Latinos), • Texas 2.5 million (24 percent), • Florida 1.1 million (10 percent), • New York 0.5 million (5 percent), and • Arizona 0.4 million (4 percent). 1 ASPE tabulations from the CY 2011 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (ACS PUMS) are adjusted to exclude estimated undocumented persons based on ASPE’s TRIM3 microsimulation model. All references to eligible uninsured in this brief use these tabulations. See the methodology section for more information. For more information about eligibility to purchase coverage in the Marketplace, see https://www.healthcare.gov/immigration-status-and-the-marketplace/. The estimates contained in this brief do not take into account certain Marketplace coverage and Medicaid/CHIP eligibility requirements, such as those relating to other minimum essential coverage or tax filing requirements, and thus the populations described in this brief should be construed as “potentially” eligible, subject to these other requirements. Also, the statutory threshold for Medicaid expansion set by the Affordable Care Act is 133 percent of the FPL, not 138 percent of the FPL. This brief refers throughout to 138 percent of the FPL, which is the effective threshold including the 5 percent statutory disregard. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation http://aspe.hhs.gov ASPE Research Brief Page 2 The greater Los Angeles, Houston, New York, and Dallas metropolitan areas are home to one- quarter (25 percent) of eligible uninsured Latinos (see Table 4). Approximately 18 percent of all eligible uninsured Latinos live outside a metropolitan area. 2 Figure 1: Distribution of Eligible Uninsured Latinos by State, 2011 New York Arizona 5% 4% All other states 29% California 28% Florida 10% Texas 24% Demographic Characteristics of Eligible Uninsured Latinos Gender — More men than women are uninsured in the United States. This is also the case for Latinos. Among the Latino eligible uninsured, less than half, or 45 percent (4.6 million), are Latinas. Age — Young adults are a disproportionately large share of the uninsured relative to their share of the general population. They are the age group most likely to be without health insurance coverage in the U.S. 3 The same is true among young Latinos: young adults ages 18 to 35 account for nearly half (4.6 million; 46 percent) of the Latino eligible uninsured but only 30 percent of the eligible Latino population overall. Of the 4.6 million eligible uninsured Latinos ages 18 to 35, 1.9 million (42 percent) are women and 2.7 million (58 percent) are men. Employment — The vast majority (73 percent) of eligible uninsured Americans live in households with at least one full-time worker. Similarly, nearly eight in ten (79 percent) eligible uninsured Latinos have at least one full-time worker in the family. 2 ASPE determined the metropolitan status of households in the ACS PUMS based on the household’s public use microdata area (PUMA) of residence. If fewer than 50 percent of all residents within a PUMA reside in metropolitan areas, that entire PUMA is classified as non-metropolitan (i.e., “rural”); otherwise, the PUMA is considered metropolitan. PUMAs are Census-designated geographic areas which contain at least 100,000 residents in one or more neighboring counties within a single state. 3 For the most up to date information on the demographic characteristics of the uninsured, including by age and gender, see a summary of the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey released in September 2013 at http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/CPSIssueBrief/ib_cps.cfm. ASPE Office of Health Policy February 2014 ASPE Research Brief Page 3 Education — About one-third (35 percent) of eligible uninsured Latinos did not earn a high school diploma, more than half (58 percent) have a high school diploma, and an additional 7 percent hold a college degree. Among all eligible uninsured Americans nationwide (41.3 million), 20 percent do not have a high school diploma, 68 percent have a high school diploma, and 12 percent hold a college degree. Language — A majority (63 percent) of eligible uninsured Latinos report that they speak English as a first language or at least “very well” as a second language. About one-third (37 percent) of eligible uninsured Latinos rely on Spanish, and 27 percent live in a household without an English-speaking adult present. Income — About 42 percent (4.2 million) of eligible uninsured Latinos have family incomes 4 below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), and nearly half of these people (2 million) live in states not expanding Medicaid. This means that nearly one in five uninsured Latinos may not gain access to affordable coverage through Medicaid in 2014 because their state declined to take this federally funded option. Approximately 5.7 million eligible uninsured Latinos have family incomes at or below 138 percent of the FPL, the threshold for qualifying for Medicaid in expansion states. Of these 5.7 million, 3 million live in Medicaid expansion states. 5 4 For family income, a “family” is based on the “health insurance unit” (HIU), which includes adults, their spouses, and their dependent children (ages 0-18, plus full-time students under age 23), using ASPE analysis of the ACS PUMS data. 5 Our analysis assumes that the following 25 states plus the District of Columbia expand their Medicaid programs: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia. ASPE Office of Health Policy February 2014 ASPE Research Brief Page 4 Table 1: Distribution of Eligible Uninsured Latinos by Family Income Medicaid Non- Expansion Expansion All States 6 Population States States Number of States 26 25 51 All Eligible Latinos 7 25,461,000 16,374,000 41,835,000 Eligible Uninsured Latinos 5,465,000 4,703,000 10,168,000 Medicaid Non- By Family Income as Percent of the Expansion Expansion All States Federal Poverty Level (FPL) States States 100% FPL or Less 2,267,000 1,958,000 4,224,000 101% to 138% FPL 782,000 661,000 1,443,000 139% to 400% FPL 2,126,000 1,838,000 3,964,000 Above 400% FPL 290,000 246,000 536,000 Latinos and the Marketplace Each state has a Health Insurance Marketplace where consumers can shop for and purchase health insurance coverage. In states that are expanding Medicaid, individuals and families with household incomes from 138 to 400 percent of the FPL may be eligible for tax credits to make health insurance even more affordable. In states that do not expand Medicaid, those with family incomes between 100 and 400 percent of FPL may qualify for tax credits. Of the 4.4 million uninsured Latinos eligible to purchase Marketplace plans, 3.9 million—or nearly 9 in 10 (88 percent)—may qualify for a premium tax credit for Marketplace coverage (see Table 2). 8 The estimated 4.4 million Marketplace-eligible uninsured include 2.1 million eligible uninsured Latino adults (ages 19 and older) in Medicaid expansion states with incomes above 138 percent of the FPL, 2.3 million eligible uninsured in the remaining 25 non-expansion states with incomes above 100 percent of the FPL, and 234,000 eligible uninsured Latino children from all states with family incomes above 250 percent of the FPL. 9 6 The sum of expansion and non-expansion state estimates may not equal the stated total for all states due to rounding. 7 Estimates in this row are for all nonelderly (ages 0 to 64) Latinos who are U.S. citizens or lawfully residing in the United States. 8 We define Marketplace-tax-credit-eligible individuals in this analysis as uninsured U.S. citizens and others lawfully residing in the area served by the Marketplace who are adults (ages 19 to 64) with family incomes above 138 percent to 400 percent of the FPL in Medicaid expansion states and above 100 percent to 400 percent of the FPL in non-expansion states or who are children (ages 0 to18) with incomes 250 percent to 400 percent of the FPL. 9 We make the simplifying assumption in this analysis that all children with incomes below 250 percent of the FPL would be eligible for Medicaid/CHIP rather than the Marketplace. ASPE Office of Health Policy February 2014 ASPE Research Brief Page 5 Table 5 contains examples of premiums before and after tax credits are applied. Latinos and Medicaid Many uninsured Latinos may be eligible for coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) at little or no cost. About 2.4 million eligible uninsured Latinos adults (30 percent of all eligible uninsured Latinos) who reside in states expanding their Medicaid programs may be eligible for Medicaid coverage. Additionally, approximately 1.8 million eligible uninsured Latino children ages 0 to 18 have family incomes at or below 250 percent of FPL and may be eligible for coverage under Medicaid/CHIP (see Table 2). More than 1.5 million Latino adults live in states that are not expanding Medicaid and have family incomes below 100 percent of the FPL. If all states were to expand Medicaid, 95 percent of all eligible uninsured Latinos would be eligible for Marketplace tax credits, Medicaid, or CHIP. Table 2: Number and Percentage of Eligible Uninsured Latinos Who May Qualify for Marketplace Tax Credits, Medicaid, or CHIP 10 Medicaid Non- Populaton Expansion Expansion All States 11 States States 5,465,000 4,703,000 10,168,000 Eligible uninsured Latinos 53.7% 46.3% 100.0% Uninsured Latinos who may be eligible for 2,141,000 2,264,000 4,405,000 Marketplace 21.1% 22.3% 43.3% Eligible uninsured Latinos who may qualify 1,851,000 2,018,000 3,869,000 for Marketplace Premium Tax Credits 18.2% 19.8% 38.1% Eligible uninsured Latinos who may qualify 2,445,000 N/A 12 2,445,000 for Medicaid (age 19 to 64) 24.0% 24.0% Eligible uninsured Latinos who may qualify 878,000 892,000 1,771,000 for or Medicaid/CHIP (age 0 to 18) 8.6% 8.8% 17.4% 10 Percentages in Table 2 are a proportion of all eligible uninsured Latinos (10.2 million). 11 The sum of expansion and non-expansion state estimates may not equal the stated total for all states due to rounding. 12 In non-expansion states, some eligible uninsured may currently qualify for Medicaid and are not enrolled, and such individuals are not included in our analysis. For expansion states, our estimate of the eligible uninsured who may qualify for Medicaid includes both the current and the newly eligible. ASPE Office of Health Policy February 2014 ASPE Research Brief Page 6 Latinos by Location By State — As noted earlier, eligible uninsured Latinos are generally concentrated in 5 states— more than half live in California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Arizona. Table 3 shows the number of eligible Latinos and those who are uninsured in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Table 3: Number of Eligible Uninsured Latinos by State Eligible Percent of Uninsured Total Eligible Eligible Eligible Latinos Latinos as Latino Uninsured Who Are Percent of U.S. State Population Latinos Uninsured Total Alabama 118,000 32,000 27.5% 0.3% Alaska 39,000 7,000 17.4% 0.1% Arizona 1,610,000 367,000 22.8% 3.6% Arkansas 150,000 38,000 25.6% 0.4% California 11,837,000 2,802,000 23.7% 27.6% Colorado 867,000 181,000 20.9% 1.8% Connecticut 412,000 59,000 14.3% 0.6% Delaware 58,000 9,000 14.8% 0.1% District of Columbia 44,000 6,000 12.9% 0.1% Florida 3,412,000 1,063,000 31.2% 10.5% Georgia 606,000 173,000 28.5% 1.7% Hawaii 116,000 10,000 8.4% 0.1% Idaho 142,000 29,000 20.6% 0.3% Illinois 1,657,000 316,000 19.1% 3.1% Indiana 308,000 72,000 23.3% 0.7% Iowa 117,000 19,000 16.2% 0.2% Kansas 241,000 52,000 21.4% 0.5% Kentucky 97,000 18,000 18.8% 0.2% Louisiana 145,000 47,000 32.4% 0.5% Maine 13,000 2,000 15.5% 0.0% Maryland 338,000 57,000 16.7% 0.6% Massachusetts 573,000 48,000 8.4% 0.5% Michigan 390,000 63,000 16.1% 0.6% Minnesota 197,000 40,000 20.1% 0.4% Mississippi 56,000 16,000 27.8% 0.2% Missouri 172,000 43,000 24.8% 0.4% Montana 28,000 7,000 26.5% 0.1% Nebraska 135,000 30,000 21.9% 0.3% Nevada 551,000 158,000 28.6% 1.6% New Hampshire 33,000 6,000 18.4% 0.1% ASPE Office of Health Policy February 2014 ASPE Research Brief Page 7 Eligible Percent of Uninsured Total Eligible Eligible Eligible Latinos Latinos as Latino Uninsured Who Are Percent of U.S. State Population Latinos Uninsured Total New Jersey 1,261,000 277,000 22.0% 2.7% New Mexico 816,000 181,000 22.2% 1.8% New York 2,940,000 539,000 18.3% 5.3% North Carolina 560,000 138,000 24.7% 1.4% North Dakota 14,000 3,000 24.4% 0.0% Ohio 298,000 53,000 17.8% 0.5% Oklahoma 268,000 69,000 25.7% 0.7% Oregon 352,000 66,000 18.6% 0.6% Pennsylvania 656,000 114,000 17.4% 1.1% Rhode Island 112,000 17,000 15.6% 0.2% South Carolina 163,000 43,000 26.5% 0.4% South Dakota 19,000 5,000 24.7% 0.0% Tennessee 210,000 62,000 29.6% 0.6% Texas 7,984,000 2,465,000 30.9% 24.2% Utah 276,000 86,000 31.2% 0.8% Vermont 7,000 1,000 9.1% 0.0% Virginia 460,000 80,000 17.4% 0.8% Washington 627,000 135,000 21.6% 1.3% West Virginia 19,000 3,000 15.2% 0.0% Wisconsin 283,000 52,000 18.4% 0.5% Wyoming 44,000 10,000 22.2% 0.1% United States 41,835,000 10,168,000 24.3% 100.0% By Metropolitan Area — Eligible uninsured Latinos are concentrated in certain metropolitan areas as shown in Table 4, which lists the top 20 metropolitan statistical areas by the number of eligible uninsured Latinos. Nearly six in ten of the nation’s eligible uninsured Latinos live in one of these 20 metropolitan areas. ASPE Office of Health Policy February 2014 ASPE Research Brief Page 8 Table 4: Top 20 Metropolitan Statistical Areas by Number of Eligible Uninsured Latinos MSA Eligible MSA Uninsured Eligible Eligible Eligible Latinos as Uninsured Uninsured Uninsured Percent of Latinos as Latinos in Latinos in State Percent of Rank Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) MSA State Total U.S. Total 1 Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA 1,211,000 2,802,000 43.2% 11.9% 2 Houston-Brazoria, TX 541,000 2,465,000 22.0% 5.3% 3 New York-Northeastern NJ, NY portion only 484,000 539,000 89.8% 4.8% 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 456,000 2,465,000 18.5% 4.5% 5 Riverside-San Bernardino, CA 434,000 2,802,000 15.5% 4.3% 6 Miami-Hialeah, FL 394,000 1,063,000 37.0% 3.9% 7 Chicago, IL 288,000 316,000 91.1% 2.8% 8 San Antonio, TX 235,000 2,465,000 9.5% 2.3% 9 Phoenix, AZ 221,000 367,000 60.3% 2.2% 10 New York-Northeastern NJ, NJ portion only 215,000 277,000 77.5% 2.1% 11 McAllen-Edinburg-Pharr-Mission, TX 207,000 2,465,000 8.4% 2.0% 12 San Diego, CA 203,000 2,802,000 7.2% 2.0% 13 San Francisco-Oakland-Vallejo, CA 161,000 2,802,000 5.7% 1.6% 14 El Paso, TX 157,000 2,465,000 6.4% 1.5% 15 Orlando, FL 134,000 1,063,000 12.6% 1.3% 16 Las Vegas, NV 118,000 158,000 75.1% 1.2% 17 Atlanta, GA 109,000 173,000 63.1% 1.1% 18 Denver-Boulder, CO 107,000 181,000 59.2% 1.1% 19 Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood-Pompano Beach, FL 105,000 1,063,000 9.8% 1.0% 20 Austin, TX 104,000 2,465,000 4.2% 1.0% TOTAL Top 20 MSAs (and respective 10 states) 13 5,883,000 8,340,000 70.5% 57.9% 13 The 10-state total is based on the 10 states corresponding to the top 20 MSAs listed in the table, not the 10 states by greatest number of eligible uninsured Latinos. ASPE Office of Health Policy February 2014 ASPE Research Brief Page 9 Table 5: Examples of Marketplace Monthly Premiums after Tax Credit This table includes premiums for two illustrative groups, a single 27-year-old and a family of four, in major metropolitan areas in selected states with large eligible uninsured Latino populations. For example, in Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes the city of Phoenix, a 27-year-old with income of $25,000 could purchase a bronze plan for as little as $123 per month after the tax credit. If a city spans more than one county, the premiums below are for the county which covers a larger area of the city. 27-Year-Old with an Income of Family of Four with an Income Premium for a 27-Year-Old $25,000 of $50,000 14 Second Second Second Second Lowest Lowest Lowest Lowest Lowest Lowest Silver Silver Bronze Silver Silver Bronze Before After After Before After After Lowest Lowest Lowest Tax Tax Tax Tax Tax Tax City, State County Bronze Silver Catastrophic Credit Credit Credit Credit Credit Credit 15 Phoenix, AZ Maricopa $139 $159 $105 $161 $145 $123 $545 $282 $207 Tucson, AZ Pima $119 $136 $90 $138 $138 $119 $467 $282 $218 L.A. (north) $153 $182 $122 $207 $145 $92 $698 $282 $102 Los Angeles, CA16 L.A. (south) $172 $198 $148 $212 $145 $105 $717 $282 $147 San Diego, CA San Diego $182 $221 $136 $253 $145 $74 $853 $282 $42 San Francisco, CA San Francisco $182 $251 $169 $306 $145 $21 $1,033 $282 $0 Denver, CO Denver $153 $201 $139 $205 $145 $92 $694 $282 $104 Fort Lauderdale, FL Broward $128 $174 $86 $199 $145 $74 $674 $282 $41 Miami, FL Miami-Dade $163 $202 $109 $221 $145 $87 $746 $282 $86 Orlando, FL Orange $182 $207 $141 $225 $145 $102 $761 $282 $136 14 For the purposes of this analysis, a family of four is defined as two 30-year-old adults and two children under age 21. 15 Net of tax credits, bronze premiums for a family of four may be below those for a single individual and may be as low as 0. This occurs because the tax credit is calculated as the difference between the cost of the second lowest cost silver plan premium and the maximum payment amount determined by income. Because premiums for older individuals and families are higher than those for younger individuals, tax credits are larger for older individuals and families. Therefore, using tax credits to purchase a bronze plan may yield lower bronze premiums for older individuals and families than for younger individuals. 16 Los Angeles County is split into two rating areas for Marketplace premiums. ASPE Office of Health Policy February 2014 ASPE Research Brief Page 10 27-Year-Old with an Income of Family of Four with an Income Premium for a 27-Year-Old $25,000 of $50,000 14 Second Second Second Second Lowest Lowest Lowest Lowest Lowest Lowest Silver Silver Bronze Silver Silver Bronze Before After After Before After After Lowest Lowest Lowest Tax Tax Tax Tax Tax Tax City, State County Bronze Silver Catastrophic Credit Credit Credit Credit Credit Credit 15 Tampa, FL Hillsborough $167 $189 $129 $199 $145 $113 $673 $282 $173 Atlanta, GA Fulton $166 $188 $127 $205 $145 $105 $694 $282 $148 Chicago, IL Cook $125 $172 $141 $174 $145 $96 $586 $282 $117 Detroit, MI Wayne $138 $156 $105 $184 $145 $99 $621 $282 $126 Newark, NJ Essex $230 $253 $186 $260 $145 $114 $880 $282 $178 Albuquerque, NM Bernalillo $126 $155 $110 $159 $145 $112 $538 $282 $170 Las Vegas, NV Clark $150 $194 $155 $195 $145 $99 $660 $282 $128 New York, NY New York $308 $359 $184 $390 $145 $63 $1,112 $282 $49 Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia $195 $210 $171 $246 $145 $94 $831 $282 $109 Dallas, TX Dallas $153 $217 $173 $223 $145 $74 $754 $282 $44 El Paso, TX El Paso $119 $169 $155 $174 $145 $90 $588 $282 $96 Houston, TX Houston $133 $169 $109 $189 $145 $89 $638 $282 $94 McAllen, TX Hidalgo $109 $153 $98 $155 $145 $99 $523 $282 $128 San Antonio, TX Bexar $138 $168 $109 $196 $145 $87 $663 $282 $87 ASPE Office of Health Policy February 2014 ASPE Research Brief Page 11 Methodological Overview and Study Limitations This analysis is based on ASPE analysis of the 2011 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (ACS PUMS), the best source for obtaining information about the current characteristics of the uninsured population at the state level and for smaller demographic groups. ASPE tabulations from the ACS PUMS have been adjusted to exclude estimated undocumented persons based on ASPE’s TRIM3 microsimulation model (http://trim.urban.org). 17 The smallest geographic unit defined in the ACS PUMS is the Census-defined public-use microdata area (PUMA). To obtain metropolitan area estimates, we assigned PUMAs to metropolitan statistical areas based on a crosswalk created from the University of Minnesota’s Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. 18 Our methodology for examples of plan premiums is described in detail in an earlier ASPE brief titled “Health Insurance Marketplace Premiums for 2014.” The full text is available online at http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/MarketplacePremiums/ib_marketplace_premiums.cfm. Plan data for Federally-facilitated Marketplaces were downloaded on January 2, 2014 from https://www.healthcare.gov/health-plan-information/, and State-based Marketplace premiums were obtained from state sources in fall 2013. For family incomes used to estimate Marketplace and Medicaid eligibility, the “family” is defined as the “health insurance unit” (HIU). HIUs include adults plus their spouses and dependent children (ages 0 to 18, plus full-time students under age 23) living in the household, based on ASPE analysis of the ACS PUMS data. The estimate of uninsured Medicaid-eligible adults is the number of adults age 19 older who have family (HIU) incomes below 138 percent of the FPL and live in one of the 25 Medicaid expansion states or the District of Columbia. Although the statutory threshold for Medicaid expansion set by the Affordable Care Act is 133 percent of the FPL, this brief uses 138 percent of the FPL, which is the effective threshold when the 5 percent statutory disregard is included. We made the simplifying assumption that children in families with incomes at or below 250 percent of FPL are eligible for CHIP, and children in families with incomes between 250 percent and 400 percent of the FPL are eligible for Marketplace coverage with premium tax credits. We recognize that states have different maximum income standards for CHIP eligibility. 17 The adjustment methodology is based on imputations of immigrant legal status in ASPE’s TRIM3 microsimulation model (http://trim.urban.org/), according to methods initially developed by Jeffrey Passel and Rebecca Clark. 18 The Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (Version 5.0) was developed by Steven Ruggles, J. Trent Alexander, Katie Genadek, Ronald Goeken, Matthew B. Schroeder, and Matthew Sobek at the University of Minnesota. Available online: https://usa.ipums.org/usa/index.shtml. ASPE Office of Health Policy February 2014