68% of Uninsured with Pre-Existing Conditions Still Don't Know if They Will Purchase Health Insurance

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Almost seven in 10 uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions have still not decided if they will purchase health insurance, according to a new InsuranceQuotes.com report. The Affordable Care Act will allow people with pre-existing conditions to purchase health insurance at no extra cost in 2014. And, of course, the ACA mandates that all Americans have health insurance next year or pay a fine.

Only 18% of uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions are definitely planning to purchase health insurance (12% before Jan. 1 and six percent after that date). Fourteen percent are planning to remain uninsured, while the others are undecided. Thirty-seven percent of the uninsured population has a pre-existing condition, according to InsuranceQuotes.com.

"It's really surprising how few people with pre-existing conditions are planning to purchase health insurance, especially since a key goal of the ACA is to provide affordable health insurance to people with pre-existing conditions," said Laura Adams, senior insurance analyst, InsuranceQuotes.com. "Many observers are worried that healthy Americans won't sign up for health insurance next year. This research suggests that we should also be worried about unhealthy Americans failing to enroll."

The report also found that 85% of Americans do not think that consumers, in general, have received enough education about Obamacare. Sixty-nine percent do not feel that they personally have enough information to know how the law will affect their own personal finances. And two in five don't know whether the state-run health insurance exchanges will also offer other types of insurance (they will not). Nineteen percent incorrectly said the exchanges will, in fact, offer other insurance products.

The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI) and can be seen in its entirety here:

http://www.insurancequotes.com/health/preexisting-condition-insurance

PSRAI obtained telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 3,005 adults living in the continental United States. Interviews were done in English by Princeton Data Source in July 2013.

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For more information, visit http://www.InsuranceQuotes.com.

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For More Information:

Ted Rossman
Public Relations Manager
Bankrate, Inc.
ted.rossman@bankrate.com
917-368-8635

SOURCE InsuranceQuotes.com

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