Consumers Should Wait A Few Weeks Before Buying Health Care Insurance, MU Expert Says
MU health care expert offers advice for those confused by the Affordable Care Act
October 16th, 2013
The views and opinions expressed in this “for expert comment” release are based on research and/or opinions of the researcher(s) and/or faculty member(s) and do not reflect the University’s official stance.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Since Oct. 1, Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance exchanges have been availablearound the country for Americans to apply for health insurance. The ACA mandates that all Americans must have health insurance by Jan. 1, 2014. Bridget Kevin-Myers, a research assistant professor at the University of Missouri Institute of Public Policy (IPP) in Truman School of Public Affairs and an expert on health care law, says some people may not sign up for the insurance thinking the penalty would be less than the price of the insurance. However, she says that having health insurance is important for two reasons: in the event of a major illness or accident, and to contribute to the entire health care system, thus making health care more affordable for everyone and eventually leading to lower health insurance costs for everyone. She also says major hitches in the health care exchange systems have added to the confusion.
“We are seeing a lot of glitches in the system so far, since this is the first time that these programs have been put in place,” Kevin-Myers said. “I would definitely recommend that those people who need to use the health care exchanges wait a few weeks before trying to use them to register for insurance. This will give the workers running the exchanges time to correct the kinks in the systems before being bombarded with thousands of requests from consumers. Also, the process will be much easier if those ready to use the system have their financial and medical information readily available.”
Kevin-Myers has written valuable tips and information in understandable language to help those who need to register for health insurance by the Jan. 1 deadline including:
To view all of Kevin-Myers reports, visit: http://ipp.missouri.edu/new.html
Editor’s Note: Contact Nathan Hurst to speak with Bridget Kevin-Myers about issues related to Obamacare