According to a recent study by Treato, cancer was the most widely discussed topic as related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Treato helps patients and caregivers make more informed healthcare decisions by analyzing online conversations about medications and health conditions and sharing what others like you are experiencing and sharing online
To gather these facts on cancer and the ACA, Treato analyzed 32,000 online discussions related to the ACA across a total of 92 forums.
Plenty of Criticism
The general sentiment towards the ACA veered toward the negative, with 48% of posts in cancer forums contained criticism of the ACA.
Some of the most frequent complaints were:
- Paying more for less. People feel like they are paying more out-of-pocket expenses and receiving less coverage.
- Cumbersome rules. The rules related to subsidies, exclusions, inclusions and co-pays are complicated and hard for people to decipher.
- Less options. Insurance providers are dropping out of the market, meaning there are less options to choose from.
But It’s Not All Bad…
While it’s true the majority of conversations skewed negatively towards the ACA, there were some positive notes, most notably gratitude. People were grateful for:
- Affordability. This is a slight contradiction to the complaint that you’re getting less for more with the ACA, however, this could depend largely on what plan someone is on and how much of a subsidy they are receiving.
- Accessibility. People with pre-existing conditions were grateful for having the option to purchase insurance.
- Preventive screening. Inclusion of preventive screening in ACA plans allows people to head off major conditions, such as cancer, before it’s too late and people were happy for this benefit.
- No lifetime limits. Finally, the prohibition of lifetime limits on coverage was received warmly by the public.
Love it or hate it, it’s here to stay (for now)
Regardless of your personal feelings towards the ACA, it’s here to stay, at least for now. Patients can take control of their care by staying involved with their physicians (and other care providers) and being proactive in finding financial assistance to ease the burden.
