How does gaining coverage affect people's lives?: access, utilization, and financial security among newly insured adults
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Series Title(s):
- Issue brief (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
- Author(s):
- Garfield, Rachel, author Young, Katherine, author
- Contributor(s):
- Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Menlo Park, CA : Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, June 2015
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Insurance Coverage -- economics Insurance, Health -- economics United States United States.
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- In 2014, millions of people gained health insurance as the major coverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) were implemented. While much attention has been paid to enrollment in new coverage options and changes in the number of uninsured over the past year, less is known about how this coverage has affected people's lives. This report, based on the 2014 Kaiser Survey of Low-Income Americans and the ACA, aims to understand the impact that gaining coverage has had on the lives of the "newly insured" adult population. The survey of 10,502 non-elderly adults was fielded between September 2 and December 15, 2014, with the majority of interviews (70%) conducted prior to November 15, 2014 (the start of the second open enrollment period). Additional detail on the survey methods is available in the methods appendix available online. Based on the survey findings, approximately 11 million nonelderly adults were newly insured in 2014, meaning they reported that they obtained health coverage in 2014 and were uninsured before that coverage started. While many of these people gained coverage in the first quarter of 2014--which coincided with the "open enrollment period" for Marketplace coverage--most gained it after March 2014. Medicaid enrollment is available throughout the year, and some people were eligible to enroll in Marketplace coverage outside of open enrollment. In addition, people can gain non-ACA coverage at any time. The vast majority (95%) of adults who gained coverage in 2014 have family income below 400% of poverty, the income range for financial assistance under the ACA, with more than half (53%) in low-income families (at or below 138% of poverty) and more than one in four (42%) in middle-income families (139 to 400% of poverty). While this income profile is not significantly different than that for the remaining uninsured population, the newly insured population is significantly more likely than the previously insured to be low- or middle-income and significantly less likely to be higher income (greater than 400% of poverty). Because of these differences in income, we restrict the analysis in this brief to the population below 400% of poverty.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (21 pages, 1 unnumbered page))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101663137 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101663137