With Subsidies, Costs for Marketplace Health Plans Rival Those for Employer Coverage
<p>The Affordable Care Act’s subsidies have made health insurance premium costs in the marketplaces more affordable for lower-income enrollees and nearly comparable to costs in employer-sponsored health plans, a new Commonwealth Fund analysis finds. Two-thirds of marketplace enrollees with annual incomes under $30,000 reported paying either nothing or less than $125 a month for individual coverage, compared to 60 percent of people in employer plans.</p><p>However, for enrollees with higher incomes, the phaseout of subsidies means higher premium costs compared to those for adults in employer plans, most of whom receive premium contributions from their companies regardless of income level. </p>
<p>The study also finds that three-quarters of people who had new marketplace coverage or switched plans reported being very or somewhat satisfied with the doctors included in their plan’s network. And nearly two-thirds said their plans included some or all the doctors they wanted. </p>
<p>“Affording health care remains a top concern for consumers,” said The Commonwealth Fund’s Sara R. Collins, who coauthored the study with Munira Z. Gunja, Michelle M. Doty, and Sophie Beutel. “The survey findings suggest that the law’s premium subsidies have been effective for people with lower and moderate incomes, who have been most at risk of being uninsured.”</p>