Who do consumers rely on for information on the Affordable Care Act, Marketplaces, and selecting a health plan?
While a large majority of consumers used the Marketplace websites for information on selecting a health plan, they found health insurance agents and brokers to be most helpful. This is according to a new report from The Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center.
The Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation surveyed consumers about what sources of information they used when researching health plans on the Marketplaces, and top satisfaction came from brokers.
Here are the report's key findings:
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Websites were the most common source of information used for information on health plans in the Marketplaces, but they were less likely to be used by Hispanic and lower-income adults.
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Despite relying heavily on websites for Marketplace plan information, half of all consumers who looked for information used other sources such as an insurance agent or broker, navigator, or call center.
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Consumers found working with insurance agents and brokers the most helpful (83.9%) and call centers the least helpful (58.1%).
- Those age 50-64 were twice as likely to use direct assistance as a source of information (43% compared to 22% of those age 18-34).
Source: Urban Institute Health Policy Center, Health Reform Monitoring Survey
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