By Annette Boyle
Two-thirds of individuals with marketplace plans or non-marketplace ACA-compliant plans rated their coverage as "excellent" or "good," according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey conducted in February and March. More than 80 percent of those with employer-sponsored plans reported high satisfaction with their coverage.
Rates of dissatisfaction rose across all types of plans, with 29 percent of those in Obamacare calling their coverage "not so good" or "poor," up from about 21 percent in the previous two years.
Among those with employer-sponsored plans, the percentage reporting less than "good" coverage rose to 17 percent from 8 percent in 2015, and among individuals who purchased ACA-compliant coverage outside of the exchanges, it increased to 31 percent from 20 percent last year, according to KFF.
While many insurers have adopted narrow networks to control costs, between 60 percent and 75 percent of respondents with ACA plans said they were happy with their choice of hospitals, primary care providers and specialists.
Those findings are consistent with other surveys that show consumers in most markets are satisfied with their access to care. In some markets, however, the exclusion of certain hospitals and a limited number of specialists have created what some call a two-tier system.
Premium and out-of-pocket costs were bigger concerns for individuals with marketplace plans. Almost half (49 percent) of those who purchased insurance on the exchanges had high-deductible plans, up from 36 percent in 2015. Individuals with high deductible plans, whether purchased individually or employer-sponsored, gave their plans lower ratings for coverage and said they were less satisfied with both their premium and copays, according to the report.
Overall, nearly half of those with marketplace plans (46 percent, up from 37 percent last year) said their annual deductible was too high and 40 percent said they were dissatisfied with their monthly premium, according to the survey.
A recent Deloitte survey found that ACA consumers were as satisfied as those who had employer-sponsored plans and were increasingly confident about their ability to pay for medical costs.
To learn more:
- here's the report
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