New Surveys Find as ACA Gains Public Support, Concerns Grow About Its Future
<p>Over half of U.S. adults now have a favorable opinion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll. That’s the highest level of support ever. But in a new <em>To the Point </em>post, Sara R. Collins, Munira Z. Gunja, Michelle M. Doty, and Herman Bhupal discuss new Commonwealth Fund findings showing that many people with coverage under the law are anxious they might lose it. </p><p>In fact, three of 10 working-age adults who have ACA marketplace or Medicaid coverage are pessimistic about their ability to maintain that insurance going forward. Of those, nearly half pointed to actions by the Trump administration and Congress as the main source of their unease. </p>
<p>Federal and state policymakers have a number of options to increase coverage and improve premium affordability, the authors say. Congress and the administration could signal support for marketplace and Medicaid coverage, increase outreach and advertising for this coverage, pass legislation creating a new federal reinsurance program for insurers, and make premium tax credits available to more Americans.</p>