• Jack Tsai and Robert Rosenheck.
• Jack Tsai and Robert Rosenheck are with the VA New England Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, West Haven, CT, and Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
• Am J Public Health. 2014 Mar 1;104(3):e57-62.

ObjectivesWe examined the number and clinical needs of uninsured veterans, including those who will be eligible for the Medicaid expansion and health insurance exchanges in 2014.MethodsWe analyzed weighted data for 8710 veterans from the 2010 National Survey of Veterans, classifying it by veterans' age, income, household size, and insurance status.ResultsOf 22 million veterans, about 7%, or more than 1.5 million, were uninsured and will need to obtain coverage by enrolling in US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) care or the Medicaid expansion or by participating in the health insurance exchanges. Of those uninsured, 55%, or more than 800 000, are likely eligible for the Medicaid expansion if states implement it. Compared with veterans with any health coverage, those who were uninsured were younger and more likely to be single, Black, and low income and to have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.ConclusionsThe Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is likely to have a considerable impact on uninsured veterans, which may have implications for the VA, the Medicaid expansion, and the health insurance exchanges.

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