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Despite Americans continuing to view the Affordable Care Act (ACA) more negatively than positively and a federal health exchange website rife with technological glitches, the U.S. uninsured rate has fallen in so far in 2014.

The U.S. uninsured rate is 16.1% so far in January, modestly down from 17.3% in December after the Affordable Care Act's requirement for Americans to have health insurance took effect on Jan. 1.

Uninsured Americans who have visited a health insurance exchange website are still more likely to say their experience was negative (59%) than positive (39%). About one in four uninsured Americans have visited an exchange website.

Uninsured Americans who have visited a government health exchange website are significantly more likely to rate their visit negatively (63%) than positively (34%).

Gallup editors highlight the 10 most important U.S. health and well-being findings from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index in 2014.

Uninsured Americans are increasingly aware of the requirement to have insurance, up to 80% from 56% this summer. However, there has been no increase in their familiarity with the insurance exchanges since they opened.

The U.S. uninsured rate dipped back down to 17.1% in the fourth quarter of 2013 from 18.0% in the third quarter. The percentage of uninsured 18- to 25-year-olds also dropped in the fourth quarter to 23.5% and is on par with the 2013 average.

Seven in 10 uninsured Americans report that they are unfamiliar with the healthcare law's insurance exchanges, similar to last month. At the same time, awareness of the law's requirement that Americans have insurance is up slightly.

Gallup editors highlight the most important health and well-being findings from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index in 2016.

Twenty-eight percent of uninsured Americans say they are more likely to pay the fine for not having health insurance than to obtain insurance, as required by the healthcare law. Politics appear to be a major factor in that decision.