With a Supreme Court ruling that could pull subsidies from millions of newly insured Americans expected within two weeks, new data indicates those with coverage are happy and getting the health care they need.
86% of Americans receiving coverage under the Affordable Care Act from either government-run exchanges or the expanded Medicaid program for the poor are “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with their health insurance, according to the latest tracking survey out Friday from the Commonwealth Fund.
The survey comes just before the much-anticipated Supreme Court decision in the King v. Burwell case. The high court will decide whether more than 9 million Americans who the law helped purchase private plans will lose subsidies for coverage because they bought insurance on a federal marketplace rather than state-run exchanges.
“The Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansions have been in place for nearly 18 months, and indications are that newly insured Americans are pleased with their coverage and are using it to get needed health care,” Commonwealth Fund president Dr. David Blumenthal said in a statement accompanying the report.
The survey indicates the law is filling a medical care void with nearly 70% using it to get care while 62% said they wouldn’t have been able to either “obtain” or “afford” that care if it weren’t for the law.
It’s the latest analysis indicating the law’s primary goal – to expand health care coverage to more Americans – is working. The Commonwealth Fund said the uninsured rate in the U.S. has dropped to 13%.
Meanwhile, other surveys have shown the addition of coverage under the law hasn’t upset existing coverage and triggered a major increase in people losing coverage they have or people being forced into plans they didn’t want.
An Urban Institute brief released last week indicated the percentage of American workers with health insurance from their employers has remained unchanged. The analysis said “just over 70 percent” of workers were covered by employer-sponsored coverage between June of 2013, before broader coverage under the law began, and that percentage held through March of 2015.
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In addition, the percentage of employees offered coverage was also largely unchanged. In March of this year, 83% of employees were offered coverage compared to 82.3% in June 2013.
“Despite rumors to the contrary, so far it would appear that employer-sponsored insurance is holding steady,” said Katherine Hempstead, who directs work on health insurance for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which funded The Urban Institute research.
