The Kaiser Family Foundation survey finds a majority of those who bought a new individual plan under Obamacare had been uninsured for at least two years.
Seventy-one percent of people who have a new policy rate their coverage as good or excellent. Thirty-nine percent rate the value as only fair or poor.
Liz Hamel, the foundation’s director of survey research, said the survey also offered some insight into the experience of people who previously had coverage on the individual market, but were forced to switch to a new plan.
Hamel said a surprising percentage of consumers whose old plans were canceled actually got a price break.
“We found that actually as many of those people say their premiums went down when they switched plans, as say that they went up," she explained. "So, this sort of counteracts some of the narrative that we heard about 'rate shock' among people who had to switch plans.”
That said, plan switchers were less likely than others to think their coverage was a good value.
Hamel pointed out affordability is still a major concern overall. More than 4 out of 10 surveyed say it’s difficult to afford their monthly premiums.
