The bad news about the exchanges — as we've heard time and time again — is that enrollment efforts are falling short. A majority of the uninsured are still in the dark about the law, its subsidy help and have yet to even visit the website.
But a Commonwealth Fund study fills us in on some good news about the exchanges: Most visitors who browsed for coverage using HealthCare.gov reported being in good health. And, researchers said, 40 percent were young adults ages 19 to 34.
That's important for the overall success of the law. Experts say participation by young and healthy individuals is a crucial factor for keeping health care costs down in the future.
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According to the study, 77 percent of eligible visitors to HealthCare.gov by the end of December reported being in good, very good or excellent health.
Lead researcher Sara Collins said the data is "encouraging" since "their participation will be critical to the marketplaces' success over time."
The Commonwealth Fund, a research foundation that supports PPACA, surveyed 622 potentially eligible adults between Dec. 11-29. The survey is the second in a series aimed at tracking Americans' experiences with the marketplaces in PPACA's first open enrollment period.
Though this latest data is good news for the Obama administration, not all of it is encouraging. Just a quarter of Americans who are potentially eligible for coverage had visited one of the new insurance marketplaces by the end of December to find a health plan, still a low percentage.
And, fewer than two in five visitors to the marketplaces actually applied for coverage by Dec. 31. Still, 59 percent said they would enroll by the end of the sign-up period.
Researchers also said though the "shopping experience has improved somewhat since the difficult October rollout," consumers were still struggling at the end of December. The majority — 69 percent —of marketplace visitors continued to rate their experience as fair or poor, with many still saying it was difficult to compare costs for health plans and find a plan that best meets their needs.
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