Survey says: Healthcare reform customers happy, better off

Tools

The success of healthcare reform depends on more than enrollment numbers. If customer satisfaction is any indication, the law is working pretty well.

The Commonwealth Fund surveyed 4,425 working-age adults and found that overall, 78 percent of people who signed up for new plans were very or somewhat satisfied with their purchases.

Of those who enrolled in Medicaid, 87 percent of new enrollees said they were somewhat or very satisfied with their new coverage, while 73 percent of people who chose a private plan expressed similar satisfaction. Even 74 percent of newly insured Republicans were happy with their coverage, compared to 85 percent of Democrats. And 77 percent of people who previously had insurance, such as individuals whose plans got canceled, liked their new coverage.

"It's possible people may have felt coerced into buying coverage, even if they didn't like it or didn't feel it was a good value," Larry Levitt, senior vice president for special initiatives at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told The New York Times. "That doesn't seem to be happening so far."

What's more, 58 percent of newly insured adults consider themselves better off now than before they had reform coverage. Not only do people like their new plans, the survey suggests they're also experiencing better access to care.

About 60 percent of newly insured adults said they used their plans to visit a provider or fill a prescription as of June. Of those, 62 percent said they would have lacked the ability to afford or access such care prior to having their new coverage. And since getting their new coverage, three-quarters of adults said it was easy or somewhat easy to find a primary care doctor.

However, those still covered through their employer don't hold a favorable view of ACA plans. A new survey shows a large majority are afraid of their employers transferring their coverage to the exchanges.

For more:
- here's the survey (.pdf)
- read the NYT article

Related Articles:
Reform success depends on more than enrollment
ACA enrollees sicker than noncompliant counterparts
Health reform subsidies cut premiums by 76%
States explore solutions to healthcare coverage