Few industries elicit less warmth than insurance, but a new survey suggests that most people who have health insurance are relatively happy with the services available through their policy.
The poll, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, finds that a solid majority of insured Americans between the ages of 18-64 believe their insurance is a decent deal. Specifically, 28 percent rate the value of their insurance as "excellent," while 33 percent rate it as "good." That's 71 percent who are at least content with the value of their care.
A quarter of respondents rated the value of their policy as "fair," while 10 percent rated it "poor." Another 5 percent didn't know or declined to answer.
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Those with insurance are also largely happy with the choice of doctors provided by their plan. More than half –– 54 percent –– said they were very satisfied with the physicians offered in their network, while 34 percent said they were somewhat satisfied. Only 8 percent said they were somewhat dissatisfied and only 4 percent said they were very dissatisfied.
In addition, only 12 percent of respondents reported having to change their doctor in the past year because of their insurance policy.
This somewhat flattering portrayal of the health care landscape comes in spite of frequent complaints from advocacy groups for providers and consumers that increasingly narrow insurance plans are making it harder for patients to find nearby doctors covered by their plan. The American College of Emergency Physicians decried narrow networks after a survey it conducted in October found many ER doctors reporting increased numbers of insured patients showing up in the ER because they could not find primary care physicians or specialists covered by their insurance in the area.
The Kaiser poll also surveyed respondents on their thoughts about the role that health care should play in the 2016 presidential election. In a sign that anger from the right over Obamacare has abated, only 4 percent of those polled said that the PPACA represents the most important issue of the election.
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