Whether it's because HealthCare.gov's glitches have been straightened out or more people are aware of the federal and state exchanges, more Americans are visiting these coverage outposts in order to inquire about insurance, according to a new poll.
Roughly one-fourth of Americans who may be eligible for health insurance visited at least one of the marketplaces in December, The Commonwealth Fund reported. They did this in one of several ways, such as by calling, visiting the website or going to the exchange and talking to a health care representative in person.
When a similar survey was done in December, roughly 17 percent of consumers had visited a state or federally facilitated marketplace.
Sara Collins, lead survey research and vice president of health care and access at The Commonwealth Fund, indicated that many people who don't have employee benefits are making coverage a priority in 2014.
"It is encouraging to see a greater share of those who could get coverage visiting the marketplaces, particularly the large share of visits by young adults and people in good health, since their participation will be critical to the marketplaces' success over time," said Collins.
Supporters of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act say that young people enrolling in a qualified health plan is crucial in order to provide for those who need the most medical treatment. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services indicated that among the estimated 2.2 million who have selected health plans, one-quarter are 34 years of age or younger.
Many people believe that the current state of the health care system is the nation's biggest problem Roughly 16 percent of Americans said that the country's most-pressing issue was the health insurance system, according to Gallup. Government itself, though, was cited as the worst problem of all, with roughly one in five indicating as much.
