With its rapid turnover, high rates of uninsured and unusual concentration of multi-employer health insurance plans, the construction industry is one of the most complex health insurance markets in our nation. The effects of the 2009 Affordable Care Act are only gradually becoming clear for employers and workers in the building trades. In a recent Quarterly Data Report, Center for Construction Research & Training (CPWR) researchers reviewed government survey data to describe the Act's effects so far.

There are some positive findings to report. In the five years following the ACA's passage, the uninsured share of the construction workforce dropped from 35% to 25%, and construction workers reported that it was easier to find and purchase insurance coverage than it was before. However, construction still suffers from the highest rates of uninsured of any major industry. Moreover, the share of workers enjoying employment-based insurance remains unchanged; it appears that most of the newly insured workers either paid out of their own pocket or acquired coverage through the medicaid expansion.

For the full story, visit CPWR's Impact of the Affordable Care Act.