Average insurance subsidy nearly 2,900 per person, study reveals

The vast majority of people who have sought health insurance benefits through the exchanges are eligible to receive financial assistance from the federal government, based on new analysis recently released.

Approximately 85 percent of marketplace enrollees across the country qualify for subsidies, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. For instance, roughly 90 percent of sign-ups from Wisconsin were eligible, 84 percent in Iowa and as many as 77 percent in Illinois.

"A significant amount of financial assistance is already flowing to individuals through the ACA," said report authors Larry Levitt, Gary Claxton and Antony Damico. "The amount varies significantly by state based primarily on the total number of people eligible for subsidies, the take-up rate among those eligible, and the premium levels within the state."

The average subsidy among individuals also varies considerably, according to the Kaiser study. Among Wisconsin residents, the average is nearly $3,600 per person, while in Iowa it's approximately $2,400. 

This analysis appears to substantiate what the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported when enrollment statistics were last released, which was that 83 percent of people who selected marketplace-based plans between October and the beginning of March were eligible for subsidies.