Survey: Insurers Expect Most Health Insurance Sold Via Exchanges in 5 Years

On the floor of the recent America's Health Insurance Plans Institute 2012 conference, health insurance technology company Connecture conducted a survey of insurance executives. The company released its findings today, which indicate, according to a release:

More than half (56 percent) of insurance executives believe that most health insurance will be sold through exchanges within five years. Nearly a third believe they will be government-run exchanges.

Nearly two-thirds (61 percent) believe that, five years from now, the majority of small businesses will not offer health insurance to their employees.

Among respondents, 28 percent say they would most trust private-sector stalwarts like Walmart to drive down the cost of healthcare (as opposed to the government or the health insurance industry itself).

More than half (61 percent) believe President Barack Obama will benefit more from the upcoming Supreme Court ruling than presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Only four percent of health insurance executives say they believe the country is on the right track when it comes to health insurance. More than 40 percent say something has to "fundamentally change" and 40 percent say the current course "isn't sustainable over the long term."

Nearly half (49 percent) of respondents believe that unhealthy living habits are most responsible for the increase in healthcare costs, while more than 20 percent believe healthcare providers are most responsible. Sixteen percent cite government regulations as being most responsible.

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio