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Press releasesMost Americans Want Uninsured Penalty Waived for People With Only One Obamacare Option

Most Americans Want Uninsured Penalty Waived for People With Only One Obamacare Option

August 30, 2016 09:00ET

Penalty Waiver Supported for the Unsubsidized and Those With Narrow Network Coverage

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 30, 2016) - A nationwide survey by AgileHealthInsurance.com found 61 percent of adults polled support a waiver of the Obamacare uninsured penalty for residents in counties with only one Obamacare insurance company who do not qualify for subsidies or lack a health plan option that includes their preferred doctors or hospitals. A minority of respondents, 39 percent, disagreed with the prospect of a waiver and supported the retention of the penalty.

Counties with a single Obamacare insurer are a growing concern. Insurance research firm Avalere predicts one out of three regions in 2017 will face this predicament. The reduction of Obamacare plan options is due to several factors, including the collapse of various health insurance co-ops, along with the departures of UHC, Humana, Aetna and other insurers from various state exchanges.

Single-insurer markets present several challenges for consumers, including diminished price competition and inadequate health care provider network options. A 2015 government study found increased insurer competition on exchanges was associated with lower health insurance premiums. Premiums for benchmark health plans on exchanges were 9 percent lower in counties with three or more insurance companies, compared to counties with only one or two insurers.

The breadth of health care provider networks is also a concern within single-insurer markets. When a market has only one insurer and that insurer's plans are restricted to narrow networks, consumers are at increased risk that their preferred doctors and hospitals will not be covered.

"Heading into the Affordable Care Act's fourth open enrollment, consumers in many parts of the country face fewer choices and higher prices," said Sam Gibbs, executive director of AgileHealthInsurance.com. "These troubling developments beg the question whether consumers should bear the burden of penalties in locations where Obamacare choice is severely limited."

The nationwide survey of 1,164 adults asked, "In counties where there's only one Obamacare insurer left, should the uninsured penalty be waived for people without subsidies or whose preferred doctors are out-of-network?"

The full results of the study can be read in "Most Americans Want Obamacare Penalty Waived When People Have Only One Insurance Company in Their Exchange" on AgileHealthInsurance.com.

Results are based on 1,164 responses to a nationwide survey conducted from Aug. 22, 2016 to Aug. 24, 2016. The survey asked respondents, "In counties where there's only one Obamacare insurer left, should the uninsured penalty be waived for people without subsidies or whose preferred doctors are out-of-network?" Respondents had the option of selecting "No" or "Yes." The answer options were displayed in randomized order across respondents. The survey was displayed within a network of over 100 different news websites and other content sites. Demographic inferencing and methodology to acquire survey respondents who approximate national statistics on age, gender, income, and region was performed by Google-administered technology. Race, education, and health insurance status were not examined. Margin of error across survey responses is estimated at +2.8/-2.8.

AgileHealthInsurance.com was created to educate people about the benefits of term health insurance and provide a fast, online process for purchasing these plans. Term health insurance is a flexible and low-cost major medical insurance for individuals without expensive pre-existing health conditions. It is not Obamacare. Term health plans offer consumers the flexibility to choose health plans with the benefits that matter most to them and combine these benefits with broad provider networks. Additional information about AgileHealthInsurance can be found at www.AgileHealthInsurance.com

CONTACT:   
Kevin McVicker,   
(703) 739-5920   
 

AgileHealthInsurance.com was launched in 2015 to educate consumers on the availability of private market health insurance products that are alternatives to Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) plans. Today AgileHealthInsurance is the largest distributor of short term medical insurance, providing a fast, online process for purchasing these plans. Short Term Medical Insurance is a flexible and low-cost major medical insurance for individuals without expensive pre-existing health conditions. It is not Obamacare. Short-term health plans offer consumers the flexibility to choose health plans with the benefits that matter most to them and combine these benefits with broad provider networks. Additional information about AgileHealthInsurance can be found at www.AgileHealthInsurance.com

Forward-Looking Statements

AgileHealthInsurance.com is a Silicon Valley-based technology company and independently managed division of Health Insurance Innovations, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIIQ). This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical fact, and may include statements relating to goals, plans and projections regarding new markets, products, services, growth strategies, anticipated trends in our business and anticipated changes and developments in the United States health insurance system and laws. Forward-looking statements are based on our current assumptions, expectations and beliefs are generally identifiable by use of words "may," "might," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or "continue," or similar expressions and involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, our ability to maintain relationships and develop new relationships with health insurance carriers and distributors, our ability to retain our members, the demand for our products, the amount of commissions paid to us or changes in health insurance plan pricing practices, our ability to integrate our acquisitions, competition, changes and developments in the United States health insurance system and laws, and our ability to adapt to them, the ability to maintain and enhance our name recognition, difficulties arising from acquisitions or other strategic transactions, and our ability to build the necessary infrastructure and processes to maintain effective controls over financial reporting. These and other risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements are discussed in HIIQ's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as well as other documents that may be filed by HIIQ from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at www.sec.gov. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. You should not rely on any forward-looking statement as representing our views in the future. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

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