Kaiser Survey Looks at Individual Health Insurance Enrollees On and Away from Obamacare Exchanges

Kaiser Survey Looks at Individual Health Insurance Enrollees On and Away from Obamacare Exchanges

Posted Jul 16, 2014
By Jenifer Dorsey

While the government has released an enrollment summary with data from the Affordable Care Act's first open-enrollment period and some information on those who purchased health insurance from the new state-based and federally facilitated exchanges, data on non-exchange enrollees has been harder to come by. However, new survey findings from The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation provide a more complete picture of those who enrolled in ACA-compliant health insurance for 2014.

The Kaiser Family Foundation's Survey of Non-Group Health Insurance Enrollees, which is the first in a series, may not offer the same data as the government's enrollment summary, but it does offer a look at the views and experiences of those with non-group health insurance coverage since Obamacare's major provisions took effect Jan. 1, 2014.

The survey is, Kaiser claimed in a June 19, 2014, news release, the first look at the national demographic and health profile of people enrolled in ACA-compliant plans, including those who bought coverage outside the marketplace. It also provides insights on those who purchased health insurance plans that were non-ACA compliant.

Who bought individual health insurance in 2014?
Under the Affordable Care Act, as of Jan. 1, 2014, most Americans are required to have health insurance or face a tax penalty. However, in the age of Obamacare, it would seem not everyone is opting in. The Kaiser survey shows the following breakdown of the non-group health insurance market by plan type 1 :

ACA-compliant (net)    68 percent

Exchange 48 percent

Non-exchange 16 percent

Unknown (purchased through broker) 3 percent

Non-ACA-compliant 31 percent

Unknown if ACA-compliant 1 percent

How many 2014 non-group enrollees were previously uninsured?
The Kaiser survey also posed a question not yet answered by state-based and federally facilitated marketplaces: What share of enrollees in ACA-compliant plans were previously uninsured?

The answer: Nearly 6 in 10 exchange plan enrollees were previously uninsured. 2

Kaiser reported that among those who were previously uninsured and enrolled in a Marketplace plan (health insurance sold via the state-based and federally facilitated exchanges) affordability and lack of access to employer-sponsored health insurance were the reasons most commonly cited for not having health insurance. Of this previously uninsured group that enrolled in a Marketplace plan 3 :

71 percent had been uninsured for 2 years or more

45 percent had been uninsured for at least five years

72 percent said they decided to buy health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act

Kaiser noted, These shares are similar when based on all those in ACA-compliant [plans] who were uninsured prior to purchasing their current plan.

In the survey findings, Kaiser also concluded that people in new, ACA-compliant plans are somewhat sicker than those in the non-group market previously, some of whom have been able to retain their non-compliant coverage under transition policies.

The percentage of those non-group enrollees whose self-reported health status was excellent or very good breaks down as follows 4

Exchange-based health insurance plans

Excellent 21 percent

Very good 27 percent

ACA-compliant health insurance plans purchased off-exchange

Excellent 28 percent

Very good 37 percent

Non-compliant health insurance plans

Excellent 28 percent

Very good 37 percent

Are people satisfied with their Obamacare health insurance coverage?
When asked, How would you rate your overall health insurance coverage excellent, good, not so good, or poor? the majority of participants in non-group and employer-sponsored health insurance plans answered excellent or good. Their answers broke among plan type down as follows 5 :

Compliant non-group health insurance plans

Excellent 19 percent

Good 52 percent

Non-compliant non-group health insurance plans

Excellent 31 percent

Good 54 percent

Employer-sponsored health insurance plans

Excellent 38 percent 

Good 47 percent

Kaiser also looked at whether or not surveyed enrollees considered their health insurance a value and compared these responses with those who have employer-sponsored health insurance and were interviewed in a separate May 2014 survey 6.

Compliant non-group health insurance plans

Excellent 21 percent

Good 34 percent

Non-compliant non-group health insurance plans

Excellent 14 percent

Good 44 percent

Employer-sponsored health insurance plans

Excellent 30 percent 

Good 40 percent

The report suggested that those enrolled in employer-sponsored plans may be more satisfied since their employers typically pay a substantial portion of their premiums. People in ACA-compliant non-group plans were most satisfied with their choice of hospitals and primary care doctors and least satisfied with their annual deductible. Among those with ACA-compliant non-group plans who switched health insurance plans were less satisfied with their new health insurance coverage than those who were previously uninsured.

To read more about the survey and read the report, visit kff.org.

Need health insurance?
If you do not have health insurance coverage and do not qualify for a special enrollment period, you may consider temporary health insurance. Temporary health insurance, often called short-term medical insurance, is not ACA-compliant and will not prevent you from owing a tax penalty for going without health insurance; however, it does offer benefits that help pay for medical expenses related to accidents and unexpected illnesses.

To learn more, call 888-839-7679 to speak to a health insurance agent.  You may also visit healthedeals.com to get a temporary health insurance quote and compare plans from multiple carriers, as well as read articles about the Affordable Care Act and how health insurance works.

1 Hamel, Liz, et al. Survey of Non-Group Health Insurance Enrollees. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. June 19, 2014. Retrieved from.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.

Jenifer Dorsey is a freelance writer whose specialties include health and fitness, wellness, sports and recreation. She is a competitive amateur track cyclist who also enjoys mountain biking, hiking, camping and other outdoor adventure. Jenifer received a B.A. in journalism from Columbia College Chicago and is an MFA candidate at Naropa University. She lives in Colorado. see here http://www.gefaelltmirbuttoneinbinden.com Tweet

Kaiser Survey Looks at Individual Health Insurance Enrollees On and Away from Obamacare Exchanges