Marketplace®

Daily business news and economic stories

Poll: Would you get health insurance or pay the penalty?

In a recent survey, 38 percent of respondents said they would rather pay a $400 fine than pay $3,000 for health insurance.

With the Affordable Care Act’s rollout continuing, one way the program will be measured is if uninsured people start getting insurance.

And according to a study by insurancequotes.com, it looks like results from the (hypothetically) uninsured are mixed. According to the survey:

“For a 45-year-old individual who earns $50,000 per year, a typical health plan under Obamacare would cost $250 a month in 2014, or $3,000 a year. If this person didn’t buy health insurance, his fine would be $400. Based on that information, if you were a 45-year-old who earned $50,000 per year and didn’t have health insurance, would you choose to buy health insurance in 2014 or would you pay the fine?”

When given the option to choose between a $3,000 health plan or a $400 fine, 38 percent of respondents chose to pay the penalty.

The poll of 1,013 American adults was conducted November 14-17 by Princeton Survey Research Associates International.

Remember: An individual’s decision on whether or not they should get insurance isn’t as easy as that poll, since it depends on their own personal health care outlook, age and income.

Related Topics

Tagged as:

Latest Episodes

View All Shows
  • Marketplace Morning Report
    21 minutes ago
    7:00
  • Marketplace Tech
    2 hours ago
    10:28
  • Marketplace
    14 hours ago
    25:43
  • Make Me Smart
    21 hours ago
    19:54
  • Million Bazillion
    a day ago
    28:24
  • How We Survive
    5 days ago
    25:04
  • This Is Uncomfortable
    5 days ago
    26:12
  • Financially Inclined
    3 months ago
    12:30
  • The Uncertain Hour
    4 months ago
    22:50
  • Corner Office from Marketplace
    5 years ago
    20:58