The Census Bureau released new data yesterday showing that the uninsured rate fell in 71.3 percent of the nation's counties between 2014 and 2015, the first two years Obamacare was in full effect. That's impressive enough, but our visuals editor, Lazaro Gamio, took the data one step further by taking the Census data back to 2010, the year it was signed into law.
Remember, there was some early stuff for the first few years, but the most important parts — the marketplaces, the pre-existing condition coverage, the subsidies, and the individual mandate — didn't kick in until 2014. Watch how quickly the uninsured rate dropped once that happened.
Yes, but: We know, we know — a lot of bad things also happened, like the canceled plans, higher premiums for individual coverage, high deductibles, and the disappearance of the cheaper plans some people wanted. But the reduction in the uninsured rate is one thing even the critics don't dispute.