Survey: Private Insurance Policies Often Held by Self-Employed

6/21/2010

A recent survey is providing more insight into the types of consumers who are most likely to be in the market for a non-group health insurance policy.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 45 percent of people with their own insurance policies are self-employed, typically owning small businesses. Another 25 percent said that their spouse works for an employer who does not offer coverage or that they are unable to secure a workplace policy for some other reason.

The foundation also reported that people who buy their own insurance policies tend to be somewhat older than people with employer-sponsored coverage, although their incomes and health status tend to be similar.

Rising policy prices have also apparently been forcing some consumers to scale back their existing coverage or shop for new policies in order to save money. However, this can be more difficult or result in higher premiums for people who have pre-existing conditions.

"With people in the individual market being hit with average increases of 20 percent, the survey shows that the steep increases we have been reading about over the last several months are not just extreme cases," Kaiser Family Foundation President and CEO Drew Altman said.

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