WASHINGTON – Almost half of patients with autoimmune disorders report that they face higher costs with their new Affordable Care Act coverage while just under half report they are better off than before the law went into effect.
Those are the top-line results of a non–random-sample survey of about 400 autoimmune patients released by the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) on March 18.
Among all respondents, 26% said that they had to buy a new insurance plan when the health insurance marketplaces began this year; 62% did not. Overall, 42% said that their premiums had increased, but that number includes some people who were previously uninsured, and thus, were not paying premiums at all, said Stephanie Hales, a lawyer in Washington, who represents the association.
A third of respondents reported that their deductibles for either medical services or prescription drugs had increased, while 40% said their deductible had not changed. More than a third (36%) of respondents said that coverage of the services that were important to them had decreased. The ACA requires insurance companies to provide a comprehensive set of benefits.
More than half said their coverage had stayed the same or was better.
In terms of prescription drug coverage, almost 40% of patients said they were paying more.
Most survey participants (66%) also said that they were able to keep their specialist, and almost half said that they had the same accessibility. But 33% said they had experienced access issues.
The survey shows "that the ACA has helped many people so far, but that continued improvements are needed to ensure that the ACA is implemented in a way that meets the needs of patients with serious and chronic conditions, including autoimmune diseases," said Ms. Hales.
The survey was conducted to help determine how to address concerns and complaints that the various autoimmune associations have heard from patients since the enrollment period for the ACA started in October, AARDA president Virginia T. Ladd said in an interview.
The association plans to survey members again a few months after enrollment closes on March 31, to gauge the impact on access to specialists and to medications.
The small survey of about 400 patients was not random; respondents were solicited through the organizations’ websites, and most of the data were collected in January and February.
On Twitter @aliciaault