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New Obamacare Survey: Majority of Small Businesses Feel They Will Be Unable to Secure Comprehensive, Affordable Health Care in 2014
CONTACT: Kristofer Eisenla, LUNA+EISENLA media
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Nationwide Survey Shows Small Business Community Frustrated with HealthCare.gov and Many Turning Elsewhere for Coverage
WASHINGTON, DC – Over a month after the launch of the new health care system, a majority of small and micro-business owners trying to enroll believe they will be unable to secure affordable health care coverage in the new year according to a new survey by The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) , the nation’s leading advocate and resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses.
The NASE membership survey released today was conducted online from November 7 th – 20 tt and is comprised of 498 small and micro-business owners from across the country. The survey found that nearly 60% of respondents believe there is a “low” or “very low” chance they’ll be able to secure both affordable and comprehensive coverage in 2014.
“The truth is that the self-employed – who fall into the individual marketplace – are finding it increasingly difficult to not only navigate healthcare.gov, they do not believe they will be able to access affordable health care in 2014,” said Katie Vlietstra, Director of Government Affairs for NASE . “This frustration is pushing many to look for alternative options for health care and our fear is that this number will grow.”
Additional highlights of the NASE membership survey released today includes:
Of the half of the respondents who visited HealthCare.gov, over 60% of them experienced technical issues and/or glitches with the website (Question 2 on the survey is of the 248 respondents who answered yes they have visited HeatlhCare.gov since October 1, 2013 – question 1 ). Over 30% of those who visited HealthCare.gov have now decided to explore options outside of the Exchange.
Nearly 9% of those able to visit the site reported they had successfully enrolled in a health insurance plan for 2014 Almost 17% of respondents indicated that they’d be forgoing health insurance in 2014 due to costs “bad policy and short-sighted.” Instead, the NASE proposed extending the open enrollment period for the entire 2014 calendar year and delaying the individual mandate penalty, which would allow adequate time for small businesses and American’s nationwide to become better informed about the options available and costs associated with the new health care plans. Delaying the individual mandate penalty will put individual American’s – including the self-employed – on a level playing field with the rest of the business community, who have already won a reprieve from the Administration for one-year.
"I have found the new health care system incredibly confusing and fraught with misinformation," says Marla Duran, NASE member and owner of Marla Duran Design based in Pennsylvania. "From increasing health care premiums to cancelation letters, small business owners need more time to explore our options with this new program."
The NASE conducted a pre-enrolment online survey prior to the launch of the Exchanges that found that more than half (54%) of the 476 respondents haven’t decided if they will purchase health care on the Exchanges. In fact, 64% of the respondents indicated they have yet to even visit the new HealthCare.gov website and100% of those surveyed answered that price will be a deciding factor in their decision.
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The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) is the nation's leading resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses, bringing a broad range of benefits to help entrepreneurs succeed and to drive the continued growth of this vital segment of the American economy. The NASE Small Business Locator helps identify and connect our nation’s smallest businesses. The NASE is a 501(c) (6) nonprofit organization and provides big-business advantages to hundreds of thousands of micro-businesses across the United States. For more information, visit the association's website at NASE.org