Iowa's uninsured rate is among the nation's lowest, but that may change

Iowa in 2022 had among the country's lowest shares of residents under 65 without health insurance , according to new Census Bureau data. But newer, preliminary numbers show that might be changing.

Why it matters: Uninsured people are more likely to forgo needed care or preventative services, which can lead to higher rates of chronic disease with expensive and disabling complications.

State of play: As of 2022, Iowa's 5.4% uninsured rate was tied with Minnesota's, and lower than those of all surrounding states.

• Only Massachusetts (2.9%), Washington, D.C. (3.1%), Hawaii (4.3%), Vermont (4.9%) and Rhode Island (5.2%) were lower.

Catch up quick: Iowa's rates dropped about 10 years ago, mostly attributed to public insurance plans and the expansion of the Affordable Care Act.

The big picture: The 2022 national rate was 9.5%, down more than 8 percentage points from 2006.

• It fell in almost all U.S. counties between 2021 and 2022 — meaning Americans are trending toward being covered.

Threat level: More recent preliminary data shows an uptick in the overall uninsured rate as states cut Medicaid rolls and unemployment rises, Axios' Maya Goldman reports .

• Iowa has removed about 250,000 people from its Medicaid program since April 2023, mostly due to procedural reasons.

Zoom in: Of Iowa's 99 counties, Bremmer (3.6%) and Dallas and Warren (3.8%) had the lowest rates in 2022, while Davis (14.4%) and Crawford (9.8%) had the highest.

• Polk (5.5%) ranked 52.

Stunning state: Iowa's 2022 overall rate was about half as low as in 2006. Just over 137,000 people were uninsured at that time.

What we're watching: Local philanthropic groups say Medicaid disenrollment is creating a domino effect.

• The number of people experiencing homelessness in Polk County and those seeking help from food pantries set recent record highs.