The number of Americans without health insurance climbed to 27.5 million in 2018, according to new federal data that shows the first increase since the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
The increase follows years of steady declines in the number of uninsured and comes amid Trump administration efforts to curtail the Obama-era health law. The 27.5 million people without health coverage represents 8.5% of Americans, up from 7.9%, or 25.6 million people, in 2017, according to a report Tuesday from the Census Bureau.
The rise will give fresh ammunition to Democratic presidential candidates who have made expanding coverage a central campaign plank. Republicans are likely to blame the climb in the nation’s uninsured on higher premiums under the ACA.