FREDERIC J. FROMMER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Both West Virginia and Virginia saw modest decreases in the number of uninsured residents last year.

The U.S. Census Bureau report released Tuesday shows the number of uninsured people in West Virginia dropped from 264,000 in 2012 to 255,000 last year — about 3.5 percent. Virginia’s dropped from 1 million in 2012 to 991,000 last year — about 1 percent.

Because the main coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act didn’t take effect until this year, the latest census numbers offer a baseline number of uninsured by which increased coverage and effectiveness of the law will be measured.

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