Rising health insurance premiums is a concern among a majority of Americans.
According to a recent poll from Gallup, 61% of U.S. Adults are concerned that their health insurance plan will require them to pay higher premiums or a greater portion of medical expenses.
The GOP tax plan that passed at the end of 2017 included a provision that repealed the individual mandate portion of Obamacare, which essentially levied a tax fine on those who did not have health insurance. But the repeal isn’t going into effect until 2019 and with it, many individuals who pay for their own coverage are seeing their premiums go up.
This fear of rising premiums even outweighs that of protection for pre-existing conditions. Only 42% of those polled considered it a “major concern” that they or someone in their immediate family would be denied coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition. 57% said this was “not a major concern.”
These findings are noteworthy, not least because Democrats and Republicans alike have focused on protections for pre-existing conditions. Healthcare more broadly was one of the key areas of focus for Democrats ahead of the midterms. Meanwhile, many Republicans who have fought to repeal Obamacare in its entirety have since emerged as supporters of a part of the law that protects those with pre-existing conditions.
Finally, the poll found that 46% are concerned that they will not have enough money to pay for their health care. Broken down by income, each of these issues was of most concern to those in the lowest income bracket earning less than $30,000 a year. Nevertheless, the cost of rising premiums remained a considerable concern even for those in the higher income brackets.