Affordable Care Act & Health Trends 2015

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The Affordable Care Act: Mostly Working but Questions Remain Burbank, CA, May 7, 2015 - The Affordable Care Act (ACA) – aka Obamacare – is gathering momentum. According to the website, ObamacareFacts.com, 11.7 million Americans are estimated to have enrolled in the Marketplaces during the 2015 open enrollment period (Nov. 2014 to Feb. 2015), including 4.5 million who re-enrolled from 2014. For nearly two years now, ThinkNow Research has been tracking Hispanic consumers’ opinion & acceptance related to health insurance, not only trending it over that time, but more recently, measuring it against other ethnicities (White, African-American and Asian), as well. And the data show some very interesting trends, as well as some big differences across ethnicities. For example, when Hispanics were asked if they currently had health insurance, 77% said ‘yes’ in Nov. 2013… now up to 83% last month. At the same time, the source of that insurance has changed considerably: o 42% got their insurance from their employer in Nov. 2013, declining to 36% last month. o 11% of Hispanics state they get their insurance through either the Federal or a State ACA Exchange this year (more than any other ethnic group) Some more good news… over this same time period, the number of uninsured Hispanics dropped from 20% to 16%. Interestingly, while the trend has been away from their employer as a source of insurance and toward the ACA, Hispanics’ overall satisfaction with their health insurance has also shifted. When asked, “How satisfied are you with the health insurance you currently have?In Nov. 2013, 89% said ‘very satisfied’ or ‘somewhat satisfied.’ In May 2014, that dropped to 84% And last month, it fell even further to 81% “The bottom line is that more Hispanics now have health insurance, but less are pleased with it, is this a good trade off?” Mario Carrasco, Partner of ThinkNow Research, says. To learn more about Hispanics and other groups’ opinions on the Affordable Care Act and Health Care, please visit the ThinkNow research blog at, www.thinknowresearch.com.

Transcript of Affordable Care Act & Health Trends 2015

Page 1: Affordable Care Act & Health Trends 2015

The Affordable Care Act: Mostly Working but Questions Remain Burbank, CA, May 7, 2015 - The Affordable Care Act (ACA) – aka Obamacare – is gathering momentum. According to the website, ObamacareFacts.com, 11.7 million Americans are estimated to have enrolled in the Marketplaces during the 2015 open enrollment period (Nov. 2014 to Feb. 2015), including 4.5 million who re-enrolled from 2014. For nearly two years now, ThinkNow Research has been tracking Hispanic consumers’ opinion & acceptance related to health insurance, not only trending it over that time, but more recently, measuring it against other ethnicities (White, African-American and Asian), as well. And the data show some very interesting trends, as well as some big differences across ethnicities. For example, when Hispanics were asked if they currently had health insurance,

• 77% said ‘yes’ in Nov. 2013… now up to 83% last month. • At the same time, the source of that insurance has changed considerably:

o 42% got their insurance from their employer in Nov. 2013, declining to 36% last month. o 11% of Hispanics state they get their insurance through either the Federal or a State

ACA Exchange this year (more than any other ethnic group) Some more good news… over this same time period, the number of uninsured Hispanics dropped from 20% to 16%. Interestingly, while the trend has been away from their employer as a source of insurance and toward the ACA, Hispanics’ overall satisfaction with their health insurance has also shifted. When asked, “How satisfied are you with the health insurance you currently have?”

• In Nov. 2013, 89% said ‘very satisfied’ or ‘somewhat satisfied.’ • In May 2014, that dropped to 84% • And last month, it fell even further to 81%

“The bottom line is that more Hispanics now have health insurance, but less are pleased with it, is this a good trade off?” Mario Carrasco, Partner of ThinkNow Research, says. To learn more about Hispanics and other groups’ opinions on the Affordable Care Act and Health Care, please visit the ThinkNow research blog at, www.thinknowresearch.com.