2. Health Insurance Costs Trends
According to the latest (2016) data from the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal government and households each accounted for 28% of all health spending, with private businesses, 20%, and state and local governments, 17%.
While the estimate for Medicare spending was a 5.0% increase, because of more Baby Boomer enrollments, the projected increase for 2017 Medicaid spending was 2.9%, compared to 3.9% during 2016.
The estimated increase in private health insurance was just 0.5%, or a total of 5.6%, primarily because of increases in Health Insurance Marketplace premiums.

3. The Affordable Care Act in Flux
As part of the comprehensive tax bill the US Congress passed during December 2017, the mandated penalty accessed on individuals’ income taxes if they don’t have health insurance was repealed, starting during 2019, although it is still in effect for 2018.
During spring 2018, bipartisan legislation was introduced in the US House to delay the suspension of the penalty until 2021, as its original intent was to use the tax to help defray the added costs of expanded Medicaid and subsidized coverage.
According to April 2018 Kaiser Family Foundation polling, health care costs will be the top issues for both Democratic (31%) and Republican (55%) voters during the midterm election.

4. Among the Uninsured
According to the Q Gallup- Sharecare Well-Being Index, 12.2% of US adults were without health insurance; however, The Commonwealth Fund’s Feb.-March survey reported the percentage at 15.5%.
The National Center for Health Statistics reports that in the 18 states which refused Medicaid expansion funding during the first 9 months of 2017, twice as many adults were uninsured than in the states which accepted the funding.
Unsurprisingly, the percent of adults 19–64 who were uninsured was the highest in Southern states during Feb.-March 2018, at 20.7%; followed by Western states, 14.4%; Northeast states, 11%; and Midwestern states, 10.8%.

5. What Non-Group Enrollees Think
Non-group enrollees are defined as individuals who purchase health insurance via an ACA marketplace or outside a marketplace. During the first half of 2017, 10.1 million Americans purchased health insurance through ACA exchanges/marketplaces.
Not surprising, the #1 reason non- group enrollees age 18–64 purchased their own health insurance was “to protect against high medical bills in the case of severe illness or accident,” with 66% stating for “peace of mind.”
Feb.-March 2018 polling results from Kaiser Family Foundation revealed 71% of marketplace enrollees (adults 18–64) had a choice of health plans in their area and 32% were “very satisfied” with the choices and another 29% were “somewhat satisfied.”

6. Medicare Demographics
According to CMS projections, Medicare spending will increase 8.0% per year, on average, during and 2020 and almost the same, or 7.7% per year, during the 2021–2026 period.
Unsurprisingly, 72.6% of adults 55+ had Medicare coverage, as reported in The Media Audit’s 2018 Rolling Aggregate Survey, representing more than 120 million Americans in 58 markets, with the largest percentage, or 36.9%, adults 65–74.
The largest percentage, or 20.8%, were in the $50K–$75K annual household income bracket; however, those in the $15K–25K bracket had the highest index, or 139, followed by those in the $25K– $35K bracket, or 127.

7. Medicaid Demographics
The CMS’ 2018 Medicaid spending projection is a 6.9% increase, a much higher rate than 2017’s 2.9%. During 2019 and 2020, the rate will decrease to 5.8% per year, and then increase slightly to 6.1% per year for 2021–2026.
Medicaid demographics are quite different than those for Medicare, as the same survey from The Media Audit revealed 62.3% are women, 42.7% are 25–44, 43.1% have annual household incomes of $25K or less and 40.2% have some college education.
Ethnically, 55.8% are Caucasian American; 17.7%, African American; 20.0%, Latino American; and 4.4%, Asian American; however, African Americans with Medicaid had the highest index, or 161, followed by Latino Americans, at 121.

8. Advertising Strategies
Health insurance companies can position their coverage as being more affordable by showing the increases in their premiums and/or deductibles are less than the CMS’ projections through 2026.
Health insurance companies who offer ACA marketplace plans should emphasize their choices of plans and how their recent customers’ satisfaction with their plans compared to Kaiser Family Foundation data at the bottom of page 2 of the Profiler.
Actual customers’ testimonials who had major surgery and/or hospital stays of how much they saved in health insurance companies’ TV commercials will serve as powerful messages to attract new customers.

9. New Media Strategies
If health insurance companies record video customer testimonials for their TV commercials, additional testimonials should be recorded and all of them become a series of uploads to companies’ Websites and social media.
Health insurance companies who offer ACA marketplace plans should conduct regular polling among their customers about their satisfaction with the coverage similar to the table at the bottom of page 2 of the Profiler.
Understandably, people have a great need for information to help them navigate the often-confusing world of health insurance. Companies should consider adding a news section to their Websites and post the latest health insurance news stories to social media.