Marketplace: 57% of New Enrollees Were Uninsured Before Signing Up

By Cyndy Nayer, July 1, 2014

Kaiser Family Foundation--KFF-- issued a new summary on the enrollees in the insurance marketplaces, which MCOL has summarized.  In short, most of the enrollees in the #ACA were uninsured before the rollout, and most of the 57% had been without coverage for 2 years.

The chronicles of the value-based movement have shown that when costs for acquisition (copays and co-insurance, often called out-of-pocket costs) are reduced, more people become engaged and adherent in their health care.  This is important in the management of chronic disease.

But if we are determined to build a culture of health in the US, then the engagement and adherence of newly-insured to prevention strategies as well as lifestyle change will be critical. The efforts in incentive-based designs (value-based for beneficiaries and for service providers, such as physicians, health plans, care coordinators, and more) must retool to encourage 24/7 improvement.  Focusing on appropriate choices whenever possible, adding 10-minute exercise breaks, and identifying friends and relatives who encourage and join in the exercise, screenings, and healthy foods are goals that we can all achieve.

Thank you to MCOL for its continued data vigilance so that, together, we can build the healthiest US.  [image courtesy of KFF]

Breakdown of Marketplace enrollees prior to purchasing current plan;

Covered by a different non-group plan	16%
Covered by Medicaid/other public program	9%
Covered by an employer/COBRA	14%
Other/Don't Know/Refused	4%
Uninsured	57%

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation