New survey data show that people who have marketplace health insurance are just as likely to get the care they need as people insured through their employer, and more likely compared to their uninsured counterparts. The data also show that people with marketplace coverage, as well as those with Medicaid, are more likely to have had a routine check-up over the last 12 months than the uninsured and less likely to have had unmet healthcare needs because of affordability issues.
The data, compiled through the Health Reform Monitoring Survey with funding from the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, show that people with Medicaid, marketplace coverage, and employer-based coverage are about equally likely to have had a routine check-up over the last 12 months, with more than two-thirds of adults with each type of coverage reporting having had a check-up. In contrast, just over 40 percent of the uninsured had a check-up in the last year.
Researchers note that people with marketplace coverage have similar experiences as those of people with coverage through their employer. When it comes to being able to see a doctor, or having unmet health care needs and problems paying medical bills, the responses of people with marketplace coverage and insurance from their job are nearly identical.
"These data provide a timely reminder of the importance of health insurance in providing people with financial access to care," said Kathy Hempstead, who directs coverage issues at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "While there may be dissatisfaction with costs and affordability issues for some, those with insurance are far more likely to get the health care that they need."
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If you would like to discuss the survey or its findings with an expert, please contact Frank Walsh at 504-309-5164 or [email protected].
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are working with others to build a national Culture of Health enabling everyone in America to live longer, healthier lives. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook atwww.rwjf.org/facebook.
