Tens of millions of Americans remain uninsured even though most of the Affordable Care Act has been been rolled out so far. A new poll looks at who they are and why they’re not buying insurance even though now many must pay a fine.
The Kaiser Family Foundation poll finds that the uninsured population is not much different than the uninsured population before the 2010 healthcare law was passed.
Compared to the insured, those without coverage are more likely to be younger than 25, to be unemployed or lacking employer-sponsored coverage, and to rate their overall health as fair or poor. As insurance marketplace enrollment numbers also reflect, Hispanics are disproportionately represented, comprising nearly one-third of the remaining uninsured.
Kaiser estimates 30 million Americans remain uninsured — down from an estimated 50 million uninsured the foundation reported in 2010, when Obamacare was enacted.
A tougher question is why many people are still forgoing health insurance despite the prospect of being fined this year and the possibility that they could face major medical bills if their health takes a turn for the worse.
The healthcare law contains provisions aimed at getting these people into the insurance market for the first time. Insurers must keep covering children up to age 26 on their parents’ plans, while low-income people can get federal subsidies to buy private plans or enroll in expanded Medicaid programs in about half of the states.
But convincing them to sign up is still tricky. According to the latest estimates by the Congressional Budget Office released Monday, 31 million people will remain uninsured next year, and 30 million the year after.
Respondents to the Kaiser poll listed their top reasons for not buying coverage: It was too expensive; they were confused about where to buy it; or they didn’t know whether they’d be eligible for subsidies to help lower their monthly costs.
That first reason — cost of coverage — was the biggest factor, with nearly half saying they couldn’t afford to pay the monthly premium. That was the case even if they qualified for a subsidy, with 53 percent of the subsidy-eligible citing cost as the reason for not having coverage.
Very few — just 3 percent — said they’re choosing to remain uninsured either because they are opposed to the Affordable Care Act or would prefer to pay the penalty.
The poll of 10,502 adults was taken between Sept. 2 and Dec. 15, 2014, with most interviews conducted before health exchange enrollment began on Nov. 15.
