The U.S. Census Bureau released numbers today reflecting an estimated 48.6 million uninsured population for medical care in the United States. This estimate represents a 1.4 million decrease from an estimated 50 million uninsured in 2010, or 16.3-15.7 percent during the same period. This sounds encouraging.

So what created this slight decrease? Young adults accounted for the largest drop in the uninsured population as the 19-25 year olds fell 2.2 percentage points. The likely explanation for this change is the provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requiring insurers to allow parents to keep children on their family coverage until the age of 26. Accordingly, the overall national average for the uninsured was positively impacted and one could argue the PPACA was instrumental in this decline.

Also worth noting was Medicare coverage increased from 14.6 percent in 2010 to 15.2 percent in 2011. Medicaid rose to 16.5 percent from 15.8 percent during the same period.

In Texas, the uninsured rate decreased less than one percent with a .8 percent change. The private or employer-based insurance coverage increased .8 percent, most likely related to the national trend with 19-25 year olds. Texas still leads the nation with 27 percent uninsured (well above the national average), representing 6 million people. We have 1.2 million children with no medical coverage. Thirty percent of women and 40 percent of pregnant women lack appropriate pre-natal care. These numbers show we must continue to expand coverage, provide appropriate access and coordinate care effectively.