The finding is from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s recent report entitled “Paying for Health Coverage: The Challenge of Affording Health Insurance Among Marketplace Enrollees.” The report is based on the 2014 Kaiser Survey of Low-Income Americans and the ACA, which offers insights into the experience of consumers during the first year of ACA implementation.
Here are seven findings from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s survey.
1. One-third of people who purchased plans on the federal marketplace reported difficulty paying their premium, according to survey data. In comparison, the survey finds only 17 percent of those with coverage through their employer reported a similar difficulty.
2. Six in 10 adults who said they had difficulty affording their premium had incomes below 250 percent of the poverty level and three in 10 were under age 35.
3. About three-quarters of adults with difficulty affording their premiums reported having excellent to good overall health, similar to the share of those with affordable premiums (73 percent vs. 79 percent), according to survey data. Additionally, approximately four in 10 of both groups reported having an ongoing medical condition (45 percent vs. 41 percent).
4. Almost half — 49 percent — of adults reporting trouble affording their coverage had dependent children, compared to only 16 percent of people with affordable coverage. The Kaiser Family Foundation noted that adults with children may face additional costs for housing, food or education that may strain family budgets, particularly for lower income families, leading to difficult decisions between paying health insurance premiums or paying for household necessities.
5. Adults having trouble paying their premiums were more financially insecure than those not having trouble, according to survey data. The Kaiser Family Foundation said adults who reported difficulty paying their health insurance premium were more likely to report facing financial challenges in other aspects of their lives. Nine in 10 reported that it was somewhat or very difficult to save money and nearly seven in 10 reported difficulty paying off debt.
6. When it comes to paying for necessities, adults who perceived their coverage to be unaffordable also fared somewhat worse than those who perceived their coverage to be affordable. Nearly half — 45 percent — of people who perceived their coverage to be unaffordable reported difficulty paying for necessities compared to just over a quarter of those with affordable coverage.
7. For adults reporting difficulty paying their premiums, having coverage only somewhat eased financial insecurity over medical costs, according to survey data. More than four in 10 adults having trouble affording their coverage were not confident they could afford usual medical costs and nearly eight in 10 were not confident they could afford major medical costs, compared to just two in 10 and four in 10, respectively, of those with affordable coverage.
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