PR Newswire October 15,
2019
Six
years after Health Insurance Exchanges were first launched as a result of the
Affordable Care Act (ACA), Americans report they are largely satisfied with
their healthcare options, according to a survey of 3,760 adults ages 18-64 in
August 2019 by national nonprofit Transamerica Center for Health
Studies® (TCHS).
This
seventh annual survey, Americans Settle in During
Healthcare Uncertainty, found 84% of Americans are very or
somewhat satisfied with the quality of their healthcare.
Still,
costs remain a concern. Nearly one-third of Americans (32%) say being able to
pay for the care they need is the most important component of the healthcare
system. Healthcare costs are having a negative impact on personal healthcare
with over one-quarter of Americans (27%) canceling a medical appointment due to
expected costs (most often Latinos (37%), Generation Z (33%), and Millennials
(31%)). Among the uninsured, 48% say they don't have coverage because of the
cost, and more than seven in 10 (71%) say prescription drugs are too costly.
"Health
costs can be very expensive, particularly for the 66% of Americans reporting a
physical or mental health condition," said Hector De La Torre,
executive director of TCHS. "Even for those without a health condition,
there is always a concern that they or their loved ones may someday require
healthcare that can devastate their finances."
On the
national policy level, over two in five Americans (42%) have a positive
impression of the ACA, holding mostly consistent since 2017. Black/African
American adults are more likely to have a very positive impression of the ACA
(35% vs. 25% Latino, 19% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 17% White).
A
strong majority of Americans agree that drug prices are too high and that the
government should intervene:
·
A significant majority (78%) feel the federal government should
be allowed to negotiate prescription drug prices.
·
Almost a quarter (22%) have purposely not taken medications as
prescribed by their doctor in the past 12 months because the cost was too high.
In
addition to not taking prescribed medications due to cost, over one in three
adults (34%) have asked their doctor about a diagnosis or treatment they found
online and almost one in five adults (17%) say they have insisted on receiving
a treatment, medication, or test against their doctor's recommendation.
"Whether
medications or treatments, this shows that patients are taking actions outside
of their health provider's recommendation and potentially affecting their
ability to recover from disease or maintain good health," said De La Torre
of TCHS.
There
are some positive signs with regard to affordability:
·
Slightly fewer Americans report premium costs increased in 2019
(30% compared to 35% in 2018).
·
The same is true for deductibles (26% compared to 29% in 2018).
Employer-based
health coverage is a linchpin of health insurance, and just over half of
employed adults (51%) agree they have to stay at their current job for the
health insurance. Moreover, a striking 30% said they had to leave a previous
job because their company did not offer health insurance and health benefits,
and this trend has steadily increased since 2017.
"With
healthcare in the U.S. adapting to the ACA over several years, followed by
uncertainty due to attempts to repeal and replace it, and then elimination of
the individual mandate requiring Americans to have health insurance in 2018,
consumers are understandably cautious as they try to keep or find
employer-based health coverage," said De La Torre of TCHS. "The
desire to find stability in health coverage is demonstrated in our new
survey, Americans Settle in During
Healthcare Uncertainty, with the consistent number of
Americans having health coverage (87%) over recent years and the most common
sources of new coverage for the previously uninsured being employers (41%) and
state programs (28%, up from 18% in 2018)."
For
more information, please visit the Transamerica Center for Health Studies
website at https://www.transamericacenterforhealthstudies.org/
ABOUT
THE TRANSAMERICA CENTER FOR HEALTH STUDIES
Transamerica
Center for Health Studies® (TCHS) – a division of Transamerica Institute®, – is
a national nonprofit focused on empowering consumers and employers to achieve
the best value and protection from their health coverage, as well as the best
outcomes in their personal health and wellness. TCHS engages with the American
public through national surveys, its website, research findings and consumer
guidance. TCHS also collaborates with healthcare experts and organizations that
are equally focused on health coverage and personal health and wellness.
Transamerica Institute® is a nonprofit, private foundation funded by
contributions from Transamerica Life Insurance Company and its affiliates, as
well as unaffiliated third parties. None of the contributors are major medical
insurers.
About
the Seventh Annual TCHS Consumer Healthcare Survey
The
analysis contained in Americans Settle in During
Healthcare Uncertainty was prepared internally by the research
team at TCHS. A self-administered online survey was conducted by The Harris
Poll on behalf of TCHS among a nationally representative sample of 3,760 US
adults (ages 18-64), from August 7th to August 19th 2019.
Figures for education, age by gender, region and household income were weighted
where necessary to align them with the population of US residents ages 18 to
64, then separately by race, and combined into a total General Population
sample. A separate weight was created for US residents ages 18-64 who are
currently uninsured, as well as for age and ethnicity. A separate weight was
created for Millennials and Generation Z to ensure representativeness.
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