Uninsured rate in Arkansas has been cut in half since mid-2000s

The rate of Arkansans below 65 without health insurance has been cut in half since the mid-2000s, according to new Census Bureau data.

By the numbers: About 10% of Arkansas residents under 65 did not have health insurance in 2022, down from 20.2% in 2006. The Natural State has the 19th-highest rate of people without insurance and is just above the national average of 9.5%.

The big picture: The uninsured rate fell in 627 counties nationwide and increased in only 23 from 2021 to 2022 — meaning Americans are trending toward being covered rather than not, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report .

• Coverage expansions under the Affordable Care Act and social safety-net policies enacted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic are helping reduce the uninsured rate, per the nonprofit KFF .

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

Zoom in: Northwest Arkansas has a disproportionately high rate of uninsured folks. Washington County has the third-highest rate of uninsured people under 65 in the state at 14%. Benton County's rate is 10.6%.