The Kaiser Family Foundation has released the third installment of a survey series focusing on consumers’ opinions on their health care purchased through the ACA’s Health Insurance Marketplace. The survey reflected the sentiment of consumers from a wide array of topics surrounding their Marketplace experience. In general, consumers were satisfied. However, further breakdown shows that they are not as pleased as they were with premiums and deductibles two years prior.
64% of those surveyed have obtained their health care coverage through the Marketplace, while 19% have health care through an ACA-compliant program outside of the Marketplace. 12%, however, have plans that are not ACA-compliant. Of those with Marketplace coverage, 68% gave their care an “excellent” or “good” rating, with 75% in favor of their hospitals, 74% in favor of their primary care physicians, and 59% in favor of specialists.
As far as premiums are concerned, it’s a near 50/50 split: 59% are satisfied with their premiums, 40% are not. Those with high deductibles, however, are less satisfied with their Marketplace experience as those with lower deductibles: 51% are satisfied with their deductibles, and 46% are not. In terms of the future, 71% have found it difficult to save for their retirement, with 51% finding it difficult to pay off debt, and 50% have found it difficult to fund their out of pocket insurance expenses (co-pays, deductibles).
Monthly health care costs are less cost-intensive as 47% found their monthly health insurance payment to be difficult to pay. As expected, higher deductible consumers found it more difficult to afford their out of pocket costs (58%) than lower deductible consumers (43%). 25% of consumers switched their places from last year, while 44% renewed their ACA-compliant plans.
The survey, while informative, proves that for the most part, Marketplace consumers are generally satisfied with their plans. Perhaps not as satisfied as 2014, but satisfied nonetheless.