More than one in four Americans (28 percent) would consider moving to another state or county to get better and/or cheaper health insurance, according to a new report by Bankrate.com. Young adults (18-29 year-olds) were the most likely to consider moving. Over four in 10 members of this group – which generally is more mobile than its older counterparts – said that health insurance would factor into their decision where to live.
About one-third of the lowest-income respondents (annual household income under $30,000) would consider moving for health insurance reasons. Because half of the 50 states are not expanding the Medicaid program, this is one of the groups most affected by geography.
“This suggests that many people could move and get better, cheaper health insurance without having to upend their entire lives,” said Bankrate.com insurance analyst Doug Whiteman. “We're not necessarily talking about moving across the country and needing to find new jobs, schools, friends, and so on. Sometimes moving just a few miles can significantly improve your health insurance situation.”
Additional findings from the report:
- One in three Americans (33 percent) were feeling more negative about the Affordable Care Act now than they were one year ago. Only 15 percent were feeling more positive.
- Young adults (ages 18-29) were the most likely to say their opinion of the law had grown more positive, as well as the most likely to say it was getting easier for them to handle medical expenses and to report their health insurance situation was improving.
- Almost half of rural residents (46 percent) were feeling more negative and only 12 percent were feeling more positive. Urban residents were evenly divided: 22 percent more negative and 22 percent more positive.
- Forty percent of Americans said their monthly health care spending was higher than a year ago, a sharp contrast with the five percent who said it was lower.
Learn more: http://bankrate.com/finance/insurance/health-insurance-poll-1213.aspx.
Victoria Spears
Victoria Prussen Spears is senior vice president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and Brooklyn Law School, Ms. Spears was an attorney at a leading New York City law firm before joining Meyerowitz Communications. She may be contacted at [email protected].