Stride Health's Stride Study: Health Coverage in the Gig Economy covers how gig workers access and use health insurance.
The study's key findings are:
- Gig workers are uninsured at three times the rate of average Americans: 35% of those surveyed were uninsured while only 10.5% of all Americans remained uninsured.
- The majority of workers plan to get coverage: 55% of workers who are currently uninsured plan to shop for a new plan or get coverage from another source
- Gig workers are leaving a lot on the table: when it comes to subsidy opportunity, most are going uninsured due to price (63%) even though there is government help available. They need better tools to help them figure out their financial outlook.
- Gig workers need specific guidance when it comes to subsidies: due to irregular income, gig workers struggle with subsidy qualification, they also still need help claiming appropriate tax deductions to increase subsidy eligibility — 85% of workers didn’t claim any tax deduction when applying for health plans.
- ACA is working in terms of ability to choose every year: 38% of workers will shop for new plans this year.
As the report chart below shows (click to enlarge), the cost of health insurance remains an issue. This is the key reason the uninsured rate for gig workers is so much larger than for those with traditional jobs. Adding to the cost problem is the confusion caused by the complexity of rules around qualifying for assistance.
Hopefully these issues will be addressed and Obamacare improved. But it's such a huge political issue we're not optimistic fixes are on the way.
Comments