Sixty-four percent of the uninsured haven’t decided whether to purchase health insurance by the ACA’s January 1 deadline, according to a survey by InsuranceQuotes.com. Beginning on January 1, uninsured Americans will pay a penalty of $95 or 1% of income (whichever is greater).
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will offer tax credits to reduce the cost of health insurance, but InsuranceQuotes.com found that 58% of Americans are not sure if they will be eligible. Low-income households may benefit the most from health subsidies, but those with annual income under $30,000 are the least likely to be aware of their eligibility (68%). More than three in five uninsured Americans say the main reason they don’t have health insurance is that they can’t afford it.
Sixty-one percent are concerned that the ACA will cause health care costs to go up while only 26% predict a decrease in costs. Fewer than half say more people will enjoy better health thanks to the ACA.
Laura Adams, senior insurance analyst, InsuranceQuotes.com warned, “Uninformed consumers risk missing key deadlines; the health exchanges will begin accepting applications in fewer than four months.” The survey, which was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, can be seen in its entirety at http://www.insurancequotes.com/health-insurance-for-uninsured.
