Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), most Americans will be required to have health coverage by 2014. Uninsured Americans can shop for coverage options on the marketplace website, which opened on October 1, 2013. A new study, conducted soon after open enrollment began by the Transamerica Center for Health Studies (TCHS) to assess public awareness of the ACA, suggests that the healthcare website’s rocky rollout may not have been the only thing keeping enrollee numbers down. Uninsured respondents to the survey reported being less informed about the ACA (42% being “very” or “somewhat” informed) as compared to those who are privately (64%) or publicly (65%) insured. Most surprisingly, 31% of those uninsured have not heard of the new health insurance exchanges.
Although the uninsured are most affected by the individual mandate provision of the ACA, the March 1, 2014 deadline for coverage approaches may take them by surprise.
TCHS’ study, entitled “Pulse Check on Health Care Coverage Perceptions and Readiness,” follows its larger annual survey conducted in July 2013, finding that the general population is significantly more informed of (60%) and prepared for (72%) the ACA than in July (48% and 63%, respectively). However, knowing about something and acting on that knowledge are two different things: 61% of uninsured respondents say they have done nothing in the past 12 months to prepare for the ACA. Furthermore, despite their low level of satisfaction with the quality of the health care they have access to (34% versus 84% among both privately and publicly insured individuals), the uninsured are less informed about the ACA (42% reported being “very” or “somewhat” informed) as compared to those who are privately (64%) or publicly (65%) insured.
Of those currently insured through their employer, most (81%) plan to keep their same coverage. For those insured through a non-employer plan, about half intend to keep their same plan. Though the uninsured are more likely than those privately and publicly insured to plan to purchase health insurance through the new exchange, only 10% of the uninsured plan on doing so (compared to 5% among privately insured and 1% among publicly insured).
The survey did reveal some positive aspects of the ACA. Among responders with pre–existing medical conditions, 35% ofthose previously unable to access or afford health insurance due to a pre-existing medical condition report that they can now get health coverage as a result of the ACA. Under the ACA, health insurance plans may no longer deny individuals coverage due to a pre-existing condition.
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In conclusion, the study reveals that more Americans are informed of the ACA, but the uninsured are the least prepared for the coverage mandate. A significant number have yet to actually sign up for health insurance, which is required by March 31st next year. Initial problems with the exchange websites have reportedly been alleviated, so hopefully the uninsured will be moved to act knowing that important deadlines are right around the corner.