For Lower-Income Enrollees, Marketplace and Employer Plans Have Comparable Premium Costs
<p>The latest Commonwealth Fund Affordable Care Act (ACA) Tracking Survey shows that about 60 percent of consumers with health plans purchased through the new insurance marketplaces pay less than $125 a month for individual coverage, with many of those paying nothing at all. A similar percentage of people with employer coverage reported the same.</p><p>According to <a href="/publications/issue-briefs/2015/sep/are-marketplace-plans-affordable">Are Marketplace Plans Affordable?</a>, one of two briefs based on the survey, most marketplace enrollees are eligible for a premium subsidy under the ACA and do not pay the full premium amount out of their own pockets. The subsidies’ effects are most pronounced for people earning less than 250 percent of the poverty level. Overall, those with employer coverage consider their health insurance to be more affordable than those with marketplace coverage do.</p>
<p>The second brief, <a href="/publications/issue-briefs/2015/sep/enroll-or-not-enroll-why-many-americans-have-gained-insurance">To Enroll or Not to Enroll? Why Many Americans Have Gained Insurance Under the Affordable Care Act While Others Have Not</a>, reports on people’s experiences shopping for and enrolling in marketplace and Medicaid coverage. Among its key findings: two-thirds of people who bought new marketplace coverage or switched plans in 2015 cited costs as most important when selecting a plan. </p>
<p>Also be sure to see our newly updated ACA Tracking Survey <a href="/acaTrackingSurvey/" target="_blank">data visualization</a>. </p>