HEADLINES Published January20, 2015 By Bernadette Strong

Obamacare Patients Are Not Sicker Than Others

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A man signing up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
(Photo : Joe Raedle, Getty Images)

Before the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) came into effect, there was talk that the people signing up for it would be sicker than those who had their coverage through their employers. However, so far, people who bought private insurance through Obamacare have not been any more likely to seek out expensive specialty care, according to a Reuters article.

This finding suggests that most of those who signed up for Obamacare in the first year did not have serious medical issues. It had been feared that sicker people would need more costly care and could possibly bankrupt the system.

Enrollees in Obamacare did use their insurance for preventive care such as physicals and well woman care more than others last year, according to Reuters. This may be because preventive care had been postponed by people who had to pay out of pocket for it, or it may be because people who got their insurance through their employer last year did not realize that preventive services are now covered fully.

The number of people in the United States who said they did not get needed medical care because of the cost has gone down from 43% in 2012 to 36% since the implementation of Obamacare. The number of people who are struggling with medical costs has dropped from 41% in 2012 to 35% in 2014, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund. Last year was the first time that these measures of financial distress dropped since the fund started asking these questions, in 2003 and 2005, respectively. The Commonwealth Fund is a nonpartisan private foundation dedicated to improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of the American healthcare system.

The Affordable Care Act subsidizes private insurance for people who do not get health insurance through their employer and allows everyone who must buy their own insurance an opportunity to do so using insurance exchanges. It also expanded Medicaid in states that agreed to broaden eligibility for that program. In addition, the program mandates that insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions and offer the same rates to men and women.

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