While approximately 8 million Americans enrolled in health insurance benefits through the federal and state exchanges, the success of these marketplaces may not be determined for some time.
According to an article by Kaiser Health News and NPR, the exchanges are long-term investments for the federal and state governments, and it is going to take a significant amount of time for the government and policymakers to see if the marketplaces will be actually end up benefiting the country. It needs to be determined if more insurers will want to sell their health plans on the sites, and if consumers will actually purchase exchange-offered policies.
Jonathon Gruber, an economist, told Kaiser and NPR that there will be key signs that the marketplaces are successful in the future.
"Success can really only be defined ultimately as a significant improvement in the well-being of the U.S. public - uninsurance rates drop, seeing health improved, seeing bankruptcies drop," Gruber said.
In addition, a recent Associated Press survey found the majority of Americans feel negatively toward the Affordable Care Act - in fact, 43 percent said they were against it, with only 28 percent saying they support it.