Poll: U.S. uninsured rate online exchange experience negatively

PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 3 (UPI) -- A majority of uninsured Americans who visited a health insurance exchange website said their experience was more negative than positive, pollster Gallup said.

The 59 percent who said their online experience was negative -- compared with 39 percent who said it was positive -- was slightly better than Gallup's combined October and November polling, when 63 percent reported a negative experience and 33 percent a positive one, poll results released Thursday indicated.

Since the online exchanges launched Oct. 1, the federally run healthcare.gov has been plagued by technical problems while state-run exchanges reportedly performed better.

Among uninsured respondents who visited an exchange, 24 percent say they went to a federal exchange, 20 percent went to a state exchange and 17 percent said both. Thirty-seven percent said they weren't sure, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.

Twenty-six percent of uninsured Americans say they visited a health insurance exchange website, up from 20 percent in October and November polling, Gallup said.

Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews with 1,563 uninsured adults conducted Dec. 1-29. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.