Health Insurance Health Reform

Is Obamacare working?

The answer is yes and no. According to a study Holahan, Karpman, and Zuckerman (2016), the health insurance exchange plans are good at insuring individuals against financial losses, but not everyone is happy with the care they are receiving.

Low- and moderate-income adults with Marketplace coverage are no more likely to report problems paying medical bills or have high out-of-pocket costs than those with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI).

Low- and moderate-income adults with Marketplace coverage are as satisfied with their health plans as those with ESI in terms of premiums charged, but are less satisfied with their choice of providers and the protection their plans provide against high medical bills.

Although access to physicians was better for patients in marketplace plans than those on Medicaid, 1 in 7 patients covered by an Obamacare plan had trouble getting a doctor’s appointment in the last year. Clearly, having an Obamacare health plan is better than being uninsured and is likely better than receiving Medicaid coverage. However, these health insurance exchange plans do have some limitations.

Source:

  • John Holahan, Michael Karpman, and Stephen Zuckerman. Health Care Access and Affordability among Low- and Moderate Income Insured and Uninsured Adults under the Affordable Care Act. Health Reform Monitoring Survey, Urban Institute. April 2016.

1 Comment

  1. Although not all are happy with Obamacare, but when it comes to the healthcare outsourcing industry, it is an opportunity for expansion. I wrote an article on my blog about how this healthcare plan can affect the BPO companies. You can check it out on http://bit.ly/obamacareoutsourcing

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