Obamacare Exchanges Not Expected To Simplify Health Insurance Maze

Consumer Survey Shows Low Expectations for Exchanges

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumers expect that the upcoming process to sign up for health insurance in October will be a complicated one according to new poll data from HealthPocket. When asked, "Do you believe shopping for a new Obamacare health insurance plan within a government exchange will be an easy process," more than 50 percent of those surveyed said that it will be complicated.

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Starting on Oct. 1, millions of Americans will have access to new insurance options created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). For everyone, the process of reviewing their options in health insurance marketplaces run by the federal or state governments will be completely new. Consumers will select from an array of different carriers offering various bronze, silver, gold and platinum metal plans.

Many customers will have to verify their financial information in order for the exchange to determine their eligibility for federal subsidies to help cover the cost of insurance premiums. Experts say most will have little or no prior experience with the individual health insurance market, yet must make a selection from the available options.

"Consumers understand that health insurance exchanges are new and while they haven't yet experienced how an exchange works, their expectation is that this process will be a complicated one that resembles navigating a maze," said Bruce Telkamp, CEO of HealthPocket. "The very good news for the administration and state exchanges is that low expectations can be exceeded by a positive experience during this important introduction of the heart of Obamacare."

Other than the 54 percent of poll respondents who said the process will be complicated, 17 percent said it will be easy and 29 percent did not know what an exchange was.

The nationwide survey was conducted Aug. 22-24, 2013, and reflects 998 responses. The methodology to acquire survey respondents who approximate national statistics on age, gender, and region was implemented by Google. See the InfoPoll report to review the detailed findings.

Consumers can review health insurance options available in the current marketplace for free by using HealthPocket's health insurance comparison tool that compares quality and costs of health plans in any geographic area.

About HealthPocket

HealthPocket.com is a free website that compares and ranks all health plans available to an individual, family, or small business, so everyone can make their best health plan decision and save on their out of pocket costs. The Company uses only objective data from government, non-profit, and private sources that carry no conditions that might restrict the site from serving as an unbiased resource. The founders of HealthPocket.com spent decades pioneering online access to health insurance information and knew they could offer something different that can positively change how people buy and use healthcare in the U.S. Learn more at www.HealthPocket.com.

SOURCE HealthPocket