Only 5.7% of Americans under 65 are in the individual health insurance market [View all]

[eridani]

http://www.familiesusa.org/ACA-individual-market/

As we near the end of month two of open enrollment and HealthCare.gov continues to improve, we have seen a surge in the number of people enrolling in high-quality, affordable health insurance. But concerns remain over the issue of terminated plans in the individual (non-group) market, how consumers are dealing with these terminations, and whether they will have to pay more for new coverage.

We had the same concerns, and we wanted to know exactly how many people are affected by plan terminations as well as how they are affected. In our most recent report, we use national and state-level data to provide concrete answers to these questions.

The bottom line: Less than 1 percent of Americans under the age of 65 face the situation where they would not be offered the same individual market plan and would also not qualify for financial help to buy a new plan. And even this small percentage of people will still benefit from the many consumer protections made possible by the Affordable Care Act.

Like we said last week, the individual market has always been volatile, and in fact, it was much worse before health reform. Known as the “wild wild west” of health insurance, the individual market had very few consumer protections. Many essential health services were not covered, and the plans often had no limit on out-of-pocket costs. All of this added up to a recipe for financial ruin for people who got sick or needed treatment after an accident.

Times have changed, and as with any major change, there will be obstacles along the way. But it’s important to focus on the millions of Americans who have, and will, enroll in new, affordable health insurance that they can rely on.

Thank you for your continued hard work, and please share this important resource with your networks!

Amy Smoucha
Field Director
Families USA