Half of those enrolled under Obamacare are avoiding visiting the doctor in order to save money, according to a report from market research group GfK.
Only one-third of the general insured population does the same.
"Even before the news broke that the cost of mid-range health insurance from the Affordable Care Act exchanges will rise about 25 percent, millions of Obamacare customers were already skipping doctor visits to save money," the study reads.
"With mid-level exchange premiums set to rise about 25 percent, more cutbacks in care seem likely."
According to the report:
- 36 percent of those enrolled under the Affordable Care Act skipped visiting the doctor despite being ill.
- 22 percent avoided private preventative care.
- 12 percent skipped lab testing.
- 12 percent pushed back surgery.
"Exchange users with lower incomes (below $25,000 a year) are turning to urgent care facilities and ‘minute clinics' in huge numbers; 27 percent have done so in the past year, compared to just 12 percent of the overall [Affordable Care Act] customer population," the study continues.
"Visiting one of these outlets is often appealing to people who may have not formed lasting relationships with providers, especially as costs can be substantially lower," the study said.
"As we approach another enrollment period for the ACA, it's important to understand why the exchanges are failing," Brian Blase, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center, told The Washington Free Beacon.
"The law made insurance way too unattractive for relatively young and healthy people who are largely choosing to pay the individual mandate tax penalty instead of purchasing coverage."
"Only those who receive giant subsidies are signing up for coverage in significant numbers, and many are gaming the new rules to enroll only when they need expensive medical services," he continued.
"This year's huge premium increases combined with much less choice of plans for Americans across the country demonstrate the law is wrecking the individual market for insurance and needs large scale revision."
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