Amidst all the noise, a new Commonwealth Fund survey provides a helpful reality check that focuses our attention back where it should be: on actual uninsured Americans and how they are approaching the new coverage options available to them.

This information is super-current and comes directly from a survey of Americans and not from state or federal marketplace data.  The Commonwealth Fund surveyed adults who were uninsured or purchased individual coverage on their own from October 9 through October 27.  Here are some of the key findings:

• Awareness of marketplaces is solid and growing.  Three out of five people surveyed are aware of the new marketplaces as a place where they might shop for coverage.   This is an increase from one in three who reported being aware of marketplaces in a survey conducted earlier in the year.

• People in need of coverage are gathering information about the options.  Nearly one in five people surveyed reported actually visiting the marketplaces to shop for a health plan, whether online, by phone, in person, or by mail.  Of those who visited, nearly half tried to find out if they were eligible for financial assistance or Medicaid.

• Young adults are interested in finding out about their options.  One of five adults surveyed who visited marketplace websites were ages 19 to 29.

• A solid group people have already enrolled in a health plan.  One in five people surveyed who had visited a marketplace said that they had enrolled in a health plan.

• A majority of people are determined to gain coverage in the next few months. Three of five people surveyed who had not explored the marketplace yet or had visited but not yet enrolled in a plan, said they were likely to visit by the end of open enrollment to enroll in a plan or find out if they are eligible for financial help. 

• A strong majority favor making Medicaid available to more residents in their state.  Nearly three out of four people surveyed favor making Medicaid available to more residents in their state.  Support was stronger among democrats surveyed, but more than half of Republicans surveyed favored their state making Medicaid available to more residents as well.

The survey also confirmed that some people—about two in five—experienced technical difficulties on websites, and a majority who visited the marketplace did not rate their experiences as good or excellent.

So, it’s time to tune out the noise, and focus on improving the consumer experience across all modes of enrollment—telephone, web, and in person—so that we can capitalize on this period of awareness and interest, and enroll people in coverage.