Only 11 percent of the uninsured are aware that the next open enrollment period for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act exchanges starts next month, according to a Kaiser Health Tracking poll.
Of the uninsured people polled, 76 percent said they didn't know when open enrollment started, 10 percent thought the next sign-up period began in 2015 or later, and 3 percent thought open enrollment began at some other point in 2014. The second open enrollment period for the PPACA exchanges begins on Nov. 15.
Additionally, 66 percent of the uninsured said they know "only a little" or "nothing at all" about the exchanges, and 53 percent aren't aware of the financial assistance available in the form of premium subsidies for low- and moderate-income enrollees, according to the poll.
Still, most (59 percent) of the uninsured individuals polled said they plan to get health insurance coverage within the next few months. Fifteen percent plan to get coverage through an employer, 15 percent anticipate purchasing a plan by themselves, and 8 percent plan on enrolling in Medicaid. Meanwhile, 21 percent of those who plan on getting coverage soon don't know how they will obtain it.