A new report from the Census Bureau says the number of Americans without health insurance jumped for the first time since 2009, the year the Affordable Care Act — popularly known as Obamacare— underwent a bruising political debate before it was signed into law in 2010.

Last year, 27.5 million people — or 8.5% of everyone in the US — didn't have health insurance, according to the report.

The number of uninsured people increased by 1.9 million people compared to 2017, when it stood at 25.6 million people, or 7.9% of the US population.

The report also said that Hispanics experienced a 1.6 percentage point drop in insurance coverage between 2017 and 2018 — and a similar pattern emerged for immigrants.

Health policy experts interpreted the decrease as partially the result of a chilling effect of the Trump administration's efforts to restrict access to public assistance, the Washington Post reported.

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A new report from the US Census Bureau says the number of Americans without health insurance jumped for the first time since 2009, the year the Affordable Care Act — popularly known as Obamacare— underwent a bruising political debate before it was signed into law in 2010.

Last year, 27.5 million people — or 8.5% of everyone in the US — didn't have health insurance, according to the report. The number of uninsured people increased by 1.9 million people compared to 2017, when it stood at 25.6 million people, or 7.9% of the population.

The increase was mostly driven by a drop in the number of people being covered in public programs like Medicaid, which decreased by 0.7%. More Americans going without health insurance is a remarkable development, given the relative strength and resiliency of the economy.

"In a period of continued economic growth, continued job growth, you would certainly hope that you wouldn't be going backwards when it comes to insurance coverage," Sharon Parrott, senior vice president at the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, told The New York Times.

The report also said that Hispanics experienced a 1.6 percentage point drop in insurance coverage between 2017 and 2018 — and a similar pattern emerged for immigrants. Just under half of Hispanics have any form of health insurance, the lowest of any racial demographic in the US.

Health policy experts interpreted the decrease as partially the result of a chilling effect of the Trump administration's efforts to restrict access to public assistance, the Washington Post reported. Last month, it announced intentions to implement a new rule barring immigrants deemed likely to use public aid programs from receiving their green card.

Read more: The Trump administration is planning to roll out a new rule rejecting green cards for immigrants on food stamps and other public aid

Republicans have long sought to undercut Obamacare, which expanded access to health insurance through state and federal marketplaces where people can acquire coverage subsidized by the government. Fully implemented in 2014, the law also broadened the reach of Medicaid in 37 states, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The Census data also shows that only 3.3% of people obtained health coverage through the state or federal health insurance marketplaces set up under the ACA, indicating its a relatively small fraction of the insurance market.

While the Census report says the poverty rate is at its lowest level since 2001, that hasn't fully translated to people finding jobs with health insurance.

"There are fewer people in poverty and more people working, but the jobs low-income people are getting often don't come with health benefits," Kaiser Family Foundation President Larry Levitt tweeted. "So, job-based health insurance isn't growing, even in an economy with low unemployment."