The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplaces have gotten off to a rough start.
The federal health insurance exchange site, HealthCare.gov, has experienced numerous technical issues that frustrated consumers seeking coverage. However, federal repair efforts have improved the site's functionality, and HHS announced 2.1 million people had signed up for health plans through the exchanges by Dec. 28, including 1.1 million who enrolled through HealthCare.gov. An additional 3.9 million were determined eligible for Medicaid.
From Dec. 11 to 29, researchers from The Commonwealth Fund conducted a tracking survey of people who are potentially eligible for coverage through the PPACA marketplaces. Here are five of their key findings about who has visited the exchanges and what their experiences were.
1. Of the potentially eligible population, 24 percent had visited either a state-run or federal marketplace to shop for a health plan either online, by phone, in person or by mail by December.
2. Forty-one percent of marketplace visitors were aged 19 to 34, 31 percent were 35 to 49 and 28 percent were 50 to 64.
3. The majority (77 percent) of those who visited the marketplaces reported said they were in excellent, very good or good health.
4. Of those who visited the marketplaces, 38 percent applied for health insurance by the end of December.
5. Although 30 percent of marketplace users who visited more than once said their experience improved between their first and last visits, 69 percent rated the experience as fair or poor. Only 37 percent reported it was very or somewhat easy to find a plan they could afford, and just 36 percent thought it was easy to find the type of coverage they needed.
More Articles on PPACA Exchanges:
Insurers Extend PPACA Premium Payment Deadline
Poll: 59% of Uninsured Report Negative PPACA Exchange Site Experience
HHS: 6M Have Gained Coverage Through PPACA