Dive Brief:
- According to a Gallup poll released June 23, newly-insured individuals enrolling in plans through health insurance exchanges are 12% less likely to report being in good health than people in the general population.
- While 50% of the general population reported being in "very good" or "excellent" health, according to the survey, only 38% of the newly insured said the same. Moreover, 8% of newly-insured individuals reported being in "poor" health versus 5% of the general population.
- Gallup also found that most newly-insured Americans getting coverage through exchange plans are age 49 and younger; 29% are ages 18 to 29, and 39% are ages 30 to 49.
Dive Insight:
Nationwide, 5% of Americans reported being newly insured in 2014, and 2.8% of them told Gallup they signed up for coverage through health insurance exchange plans. The poll of 31,000-plus adults also found that the total percentage of adults still lacking health coverage stayed above 13%.
To avoid adverse selection and rising premium costs, the reform law aimed to bring a good balance of people into the mix: healthy along with sick. It is not yet clear how this self-reported data will play into the bigger picture; the more important determinant is the experience of providers and payers in handling their care — and they only have six months of experience at this point to go on.
