Depending on who consumers listen to, perceptions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) vary. By some accounts, the health care exchange is set to revolutionize health care for the uninsured and underinsured alike. By others, the opposite is expected. In Mansfield, expert reactions are mixed.
On Tuesday, October 8, 2013 the much-awaited health care exchange opened—to one resounding review. With the influx of users accessing the platform, technology failed. One after the other, computer glitches prevented Americans from accessing the site, and getting their hands on real-time information about what had been to date largely theory.
By and large, that’s what consumers had seemed to be waiting for in order to make a decision about coverage or changes to their health care. That may not be so easy, according to Tom Freund, CEO of Integrity Insurance Solutions. Since 2009, Freund has been managing the insurance needs of Mansfield residents, and he’s seen the interest in health care coverage piquing over the last five months.
‘We’ve had interest. We’ve been receiving calls from people who are interested in the plans, and are asking questions about costs and coverage’ before the roll out of the ACA health care exchange, said Freund.
‘The reality has been since the rollout, it has been virtually not impossible but close to impossible to get on the site or to stay on the site,’ Freund said.
In terms of getting clients closer to being able to purchase a health care plan, the inability to access the site has stopped Freund and his clients in their tracks.
‘No one has signed up yet or gone through the enrollment process,’ Freund said. ‘The jury’s still out. Without the ability to get on the site and actually do a proper analysis for a client’ Freund has found that consumers aren’t able to properly evaluate their options or even consider purchasing a policy.
‘It’s the number one struggle,’ according to Freund, that his company encounters with the health care exchange. ‘We’ll get on for 10 minutes, and then get kicked off for hours. [When we log back on] sometimes the information is still there, sometimes it isn’t.’
Interestingly, when Freund is able to get a client close enough to relevant details, ‘it hasn’t been something people felt was economically tolerable,’ said Freund.
The other factor the CEO sees as a major player in the success of the AFA involves suitability, or who is showing interest.
‘Most people were uncovered or had a significant health problem,’ according to Freund. ‘When we have gotten costs, it’s still something they can’t afford. It’s much more costly than anyone had thought.’
But not everyone is having that same experience. Michael Pyers, President of Health Insurance Options, has had an entirely different one.
‘We have about a 50-50 [response from Mansfield residents]’ Pyers said. The first group is “people [whose current policy] doesn’t meet their needs because it’s not adequate coverage. These people are paying way too much.’
The other people who are calling Pyers’ office are those without any insurance at all. Most of these people have preexisting conditions.
Although Pyers has had a few challenges with accessing the site, he encourages consumers to be patient. The efforts to access the health care exchange and create an account are worth it, as consumers can get real-time information about their health scenarios, and what coverage they may qualify for, along with subsidies.
Already, some consumers are seeing a positive result from working with a local insurance agent. One of Pyers’ clients from Crawford County that was able to work through the health care exchange process received a quote of $450 for comparable insurance. The Crawford couple currently pays $1,300.
Consumers interested in pursuing coverage through the ACA must take the time to investigate coverage. The effort may result in savings—and perhaps even better coverage.
