Obamacare: An Insurance Industry Perspective

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By Jeremy Morris, Associate Editor, US Daily Review.

Connecture, Inc., which is in sales automation technology for the health insurance industry, shared the results of a survey conducted on the exhibit hall floor of AHIP’s Institute 2012 conference. The survey results offer an insightful look into the personal opinions of industry leaders charting the future of health insurance in the United States, and include their views on reform, the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the reasons for increasing healthcare costs and politics.

Connecture makes the Web-based marketplaces and exchanges that more than half of the 20 largest health insurance carriers use to sell, administer and manage their products; as well as exchanges now being created by many states throughout the nation. Today, more than 25 million Americans purchase their health insurance through systems created by Connecture.

Some of the most interesting findings in the survey include:

More than half (56 percent) of insurance executives believe that most health insurance will be sold through exchanges within five years. Nearly a third believe they will be government-run exchanges.
Nearly two-thirds (61 percent) believe that, five years from now, the majority of small businesses will not offer health insurance to their employees.
Among respondents, 28 percent say they would most trust private-sector stalwarts like Walmart to drive down the cost of healthcare (as opposed to the government or the health insurance industry itself).
More than half (61 percent) believe President Barack Obama will benefit more from the upcoming Supreme Court ruling than presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Only four percent of health insurance executives say they believe the country is on the right track when it comes to health insurance. More than 40 percent say something has to “fundamentally change” and 40 percent say the current course “isn’t sustainable over the long term.”
Nearly half (49 percent) of respondents believe that unhealthy living habits are most responsible for the increase in healthcare costs, while more than 20 percent believe healthcare providers are most responsible. Sixteen percent cite government regulations as being most responsible.

“It’s no secret that we’re at an inflection point that will determine how we as a nation will address the social and business questions inherent in healthcare and healthcare reform,” said Doug Schneider, CEO of Connecture. “The one thing that is abundantly clear to everyone, regardless of political ideology or role in the industry, is that we need to be smarter about leveraging technology to create efficiencies and help ensure that healthcare and health insurance are affordable and accessible for all.”