Majority of Obamacare Shoppers Say Insurance is Unaffordable
Majority of Obamacare Shoppers Say Insurance is Unaffordable
Policies Inferior to Employer-Provided Care
(Washington, D.C.) – A survey of thousands of health insurance customers by the Commonwealth Fund highlights the problems with health insurance purchased through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. Among those who shopped on the health care exchanges in the first year of the law, more than half – 54 percent – said it was somewhat difficult, very difficult, or impossible, to find a plan they could afford. Half said the same of a plan with the coverage they needed. A full 37 percent said it was somewhat or very difficult – or impossible – to afford premiums under the law. Among those who purchased care on the exchanges, 30 percent are not confident that they can afford needed care – the entire point of the law.
Notably, those who bought federal insurance on the exchanges consistently rated their insurance worse than those with employer-provided care. Those with employer-based coverage where more likely to pay less in premiums, find it affordable, have lower deductibles, and overall rate it a better value than those buying on the exchanges. Worryingly, the health law is expected to have the effect of pushing people out of employer-provided care and onto the exchanges.
Rachel Campos-Duffy, National Spokesperson for The LIBRE Initiative, released the following statement:
"The whole point of the so-called Affordable Care Act was to make health care more affordable. Instead the majority of people who shopped on the exchanges say it is not. And many who bought insurance are still unsure they will be able to afford the care they need. These are the fundamental goals of the law, and they are not being achieved.
Many Americans were counting on the promises made about Obamacare. Moms, singles, millennials, Latinos – all of these groups are impacted by the increasing cost of insurance since the law was enacted. That's one reason that hundreds of thousands of people have dropped out of the program already. We have to go back to the drawing board, because the law as passed simply isn't working. It's time to make good on promises that have been broken."
For interviews with a LIBRE representative, please contact: Brian Faughnan, 703-678-4581 or Steven Cruz, 202-578-6173
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