8 In 10 Believe Health Care Costs Will Keep Going Up

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Findings from a recent survey conducted by AgileHealthInsurance.com, the Internet's first site dedicated to helping consumers understand the value of term health insurance, show that Americans overwhelmingly lack confidence that their health care costs will decrease, regardless of who becomes the next president.

Eight out of 10 adults expressed this belief in a survey conducted earlier this month. The results come at a critical time -- after the Obamacare open enrollment period, before new Obamacare rates are released this summer and in the midst of an increasingly hostile presidential campaign season.

"The survey findings reflect an unfortunate reality that many Americans simply don't believe that Obamacare will help rein in health care costs," said Sam Gibbs, executive director of AgileHealthInsurance.com. "Regardless of the election results, people are very skeptical that any president will be able to contain the rising costs of health insurance."

Part of the consumer pessimism observed in the survey may have been influenced by the failure to curb rising costs over the last three years. While some Americans are eligible for subsidies, a recent study by HealthPocket Inc. estimated that more than 33 million people nationwide are in the unsubsidized health insurance market, where they lack premium assistance from the government or employers.

When comparing private insurance premiums for a 30-year-old male, the first year of the Affordable Care Act increased the average market premium by 73 percent compared to the prior year's pre-reform average. For women of the same age, the increase was 35 percent. Even recently, the health insurance market has seen substantial increases. For example, when you look at the 2016 plans available for 30-year-old men, the premiums average 10 percent to 16 percent higher than a year ago, depending on the metal level.

As some Americans have struggled to afford the cost of Obamacare plans, there has been growing interest in term health insurance, which is less expensive. The average monthly premium for a term health insurance plan selected on AgileHealthInsurance.com is less than $100 per person. Term health insurance represents a distinct category of health insurance that is generally more affordable than Obamacare plans. Eligibility requirements and flexibility in benefits are major factors contributing to the cost savings realized by consumers.

Unlike Obamacare plans, term health insurance applications are approved or rejected based on health status, including the nature of pre-existing conditions. Additionally, consumers may still be subject to the Obamacare Tax unless they qualify for one of several exemptions. However, the lower cost of term health insurance means that even for some consumers facing the tax penalty, the combination of penalty and premium is still less expensive than an unsubsidized Obamacare premium.

The survey results are based on 1,269 responses to a nationwide survey conducted from April 7, 2016 through April 9, 2016. The survey asked respondents, "Regardless of who is elected in 2016, do you think the next president will be successful in lowering health insurance costs for most Americans?" Respondents had the option of selecting one of three answers in the following order: "Yes, I think costs will go down," "No, I think costs will go up," or "No, I think costs will stay the same."

The survey was displayed within a network of over 100 different news websites and other content sites. Demographic inferencing and methodology to acquire survey respondents who approximate national statistics on age, gender, income and region was performed by Google-administered technology. Race, education, and health insurance status were not examined. Margin of error across survey responses is estimated at +2.7/-2.7.

Keywords for this news article include: Health Insurance.

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