A recent survey indicates Americans have been following the debate over the Affordable Care Act, and they’re worried. Their top concerns involve being left without coverage if the law changes.
A large majority of Americans are aware of the debate over potential changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and they fear losing coverage for pre-existing conditions and Medicare, as well as losing the employer mandate for healthcare coverage.
Almost half (47%) of rural Americans have a negative impression of the ACA, compared to 19% of urban Americans and 34% suburban Americans, according to a survey from the national non-profit Transamerica Center for Health Studies (TCHS).
The survey shows that 81% of Americans are aware of the healthcare debates in Washington, D.C.; of those, 92% are concerned about those changes, and 59% are very or extremely concerned. The three biggest fears among Americans include loss of coverage for those with pre-existing conditions (42%), reduction in Medicare coverage for seniors (31%), and loss of the employer mandate to offer healthcare coverage (30%).
Survey participants had good reason to fear loss of coverage: 67% of them reported having at least one chronic health condition, and 19% cited managing a chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure, as one of their top two most important health-related priorities.
“Being able to pay for the care I need” was cited as the most important concern (36%), with nearly one in five (19%) saying they are currently unable to afford routine healthcare expenses such as health insurance co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses. Only 13% said their access to affordable healthcare coverage has increased in the past one to two years.
The survey found also that 57% do not feel the government (state or federal) should require individuals to purchase health coverage. Only 28% believe the ACA has directly impacted their health insurance choices in 2017 in a positive way.
The survey found that 12% of adults are uninsured, which is down from 15% in 2014 and 21% in 2013. Most commonly, the uninsured say paying their health expenses and the penalty is less expensive than the health coverage options available to them (29%). About one in six (18%) uninsured adults said they are unaware of the ACA’s insurance mandate for individuals.
Forty percent of the uninsured have a negative impression of the ACA, with 30% positive; that’s compared to 31% negative and 44% positive impressions among the insured. Hector De La Torre, executive director of TCHS, says the survey findings confirm that the cost of healthcare insurance dominates all other concerns.
“Year after year, we have found that affordability is top of mind for Americans and yet few say they are currently saving for healthcare expenses, and a substantial proportion of employed adults are not sure they are taking advantage of the healthcare savings offered by their employer,” De La Torre says.
Gregory A. Freeman is a contributing writer for HealthLeaders.