Dive Brief:
- 28% of currently uninsured Americans expect to pay the penalty rather than buy the health insurance required under the ACA, according to a new Gallup poll.
- The percentage of Americans who plan to pay the penalty has remained steady since September at about 70%.
- The survey found that 45% of uninsured Republicans plan to pay the fine, compared with 31% of independents and 15% of Democrats.
Dive Insight:
In a situation like this, something has to give. If nearly half of uninsured Republicans and about one-third of uninsured independents don't buy insurance, that could have a significant impact on the way the new insurance market shakes out. This could turn out to be a red herring -- something that works itself out over 2014 -- but it could mean that the economics of the new, emerging health insurance market could be adversely affected. Let's just hope that these are growing pains, not a harbinger of major problems in the U.S. health insurance sector.