A report by Dane County public health officials estimates the number of residents without insurance has dropped by as much as 40 percent since 2013 because of changes at the state and federal level.
In the years leading up to the Affordable Care Act, 1 in 10 Dane County residents said cost prevented them from getting care. Since then, people on the marketplace have been able to get discounted premiums, and childless adults below the poverty level can access BadgerCare Plus.
The report estimates that between 23,000 and 25,000 people remain uninsured.
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“In order for people to be able and willing to get the health care that they need, it must be affordable, available, accessible, accommodating and acceptable to them,” said Susan Webb-Lukomski, the chronic disease prevention coordinator for Public Health Madison and Dane County.
Webb-Lukomski said that the barriers to getting such care can include high co-pays or deductibles, transportation issues and language barriers.
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