American Adults’ Satisfaction with Health Insurance
A recent poll by NBC News reveals that a significant number of older Americans, especially those enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid, are generally content with their health insurance coverage.
However, despite this overall satisfaction, there’s a noticeable undercurrent of discontent. Nearly 25% of participants indicated that they had faced insurance claim denials or delays within the last two years.
Specifically, 82% of respondents expressed satisfaction with their health insurance, with one-third claiming to be very satisfied. Among older adults, 90% reported satisfaction, and 42% of those over 65 said they were very satisfied.
Moreover, around 90% of individuals with public health insurance felt satisfied, contrasting with 77% of those covered by private insurance.
These findings align with other research and shed light on the complexities surrounding health care debates in Washington and beyond. They also come ahead of potential significant changes and cuts to Medicaid that could raise costs for millions. Premiums associated with the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) may rise unless Congress agrees to extend certain subsidies.
Younger individuals, however, were more likely to express dissatisfaction with their health insurance. About 24% of those under 45 reported feeling unsatisfied. Interestingly, a similar dissatisfaction level was observed among college graduates and self-identified independents.
Access to care adds another layer to this discussion. NBC News has been focusing on issues relating to insurance claim denials, highlighted by a high-profile murder case linked to a health insurance CEO. From the survey, 24% indicated that their insurance company had either delayed or denied them necessary medical services or treatment in recent years.
Women reported a slightly higher likelihood of experiencing claim delays or denials, at 27% compared to 21% of men.
Additionally, individuals with private health insurance were marginally more prone to encountering delays or denials (26%) than those with public health insurance (23%).
On the subject of Obamacare, 46% of respondents preferred to keep it, while 24% wanted to repeal it. The remaining 31% seemed unsure.
Notably, individuals with private plans—like those provided through employment—showed similar desires to maintain the ACA (47%) as those with public options (46%).
A majority of Democrats (79%), Black Americans (61%), women under 30 (59%), and all adults below 30 (52%) also favored keeping the ACA.
Conversely, 56% of Republicans and 69% of those aligning with Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement preferred to see the ACA abolished. Interestingly, 40% of men over 65 also wished for its repeal.
As discussions around health care affordability heat up in anticipation of the 2026 midterm elections, 57% of surveyed individuals expressed trust in Democrats to tackle this issue, while 43% sided with Republicans.
Overall, women displayed a stronger inclination to trust Democrats with health care financing (64% vs. 36%), whereas men were evenly divided (50% for each party).
The NBC News Decision Desk Poll gathered responses from 20,252 adults online between November 20 and December 8, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points. Some percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.
