Survey: Majority of Uninsured Individuals were Unaware of When Open Enrollment Began

With the second year of open enrollment for health insurance on the exchange currently underway, a Kaiser Health Tracking Poll sought to glean an indication of who would be enrolling for insurance, while also taking inventory on the public’s opinion on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The poll, which took place 1 week prior to when 2015 open enrollment began, found that 89% of uninsured individuals were unsure of when open enrollment started. Another 10% of respondents said they thought open enrollment began sometime in 2015. Only 11% of respondents correctly indicated that open enrollment began in November 2014.

Eighteen percent of respondents said they were personally contacted in the prior 6 months regarding the healthcare law. In addition, 40% of respondents said they had recently seen or heard an advertisement from an insurer regarding health insurance, and 34% said they had seen or heard an advertisement in the prior month that provided information on obtaining insurance via the online marketplace.

When asked if they would enroll for coverage, 49% said “yes” and 41% said they would likely choose to remain uninsured. The remaining 10% said they were unsure.

For the respondents who said they would obtain health insurance, the top reason for doing so was “feel [I] need insurance” (25%). Other answers included that the law requires it (8%), a new insurance option is available (5%), they do not want to pay the penalty fee (5%), and they are eligible for government financial help (1%); the remaining 4% said “other.”

For the respondents who said they would not obtain insurance, the top reason for doing so was “do not think [I will] be able to find an affordable plan” (24%). Other responses included, do not feel coverage is needed (5%), do not want to be forced to buy something (4%), and would prefer to pay the fine for not having coverage rather than paying for it (<1%); the remaining 7% said “other.”

According to the poll, there are characteristics common among the uninsured population that can make it difficult to reach this group and have them enroll in health coverage. Thirty-eight percent of the uninsured respondents said they are <30 years of age, and 63% reported a family income of <$30,000 annually. Also, 59% said they had been uninsured for ≥2 years and 29% reported being in “fair” or “poor” health. One-third of respondents (33%) identified themselves as Hispanic and 15% of respondents chose to take the survey in Spanish.

Overall, the public remains divided on the ACA law; 46% had an unfavorable view of the law, while 37% reported a favorable view. The Kaiser Health Tracking Poll indicated that these numbers have held relatively steady for some time, according to their monthly poll results. In addition, 29% of respondents think Congress should repeal the ACA entirely, while 17% said the law should be scaled back.

The survey was conducted from November 5 through November 13, 2014, among a nationally representative random digit dial telephone sample. A total of 1501 adults ≥18 years of age living in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, were included in the survey, which was carried out in both English and Spanish by Princeton Data Source under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associated International.—Kerri Fitzgerald