This research brief from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) describes the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Overall, an estimated 18.1 percent of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are uninsured, compared with 16.3 percent of all Americans. However, the extent of uninsurance varies considerably by Asian American and Pacific Islander subgroup, with rates of 6.6 percent for Japanese Americans, 10.9 percent for Filipino Americans, 11.8 percent for Asian Indian Americans, 13.4 percent for Chinese Americans, 16.7 percent for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Americans, 19.8 percent for Vietnamese Americans, and 25.5 percent for Korean Americans. Using Census Bureau data and projections from RAND, ASPE estimates that 2.1 million Asian Americans would be eligible to obtain health insurance coverage through state health insurance exchanges and the expansion of the Medicaid program to cover all individuals below 133 percent of poverty. Unfortunately, based on data limitations, this estimate does not include Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
Ignatius Bau 