Over One-quarter of Americans Willing to Relocate for Better Health Insurance

 According to a recently released report from Bankrate.com, over one quarter of Americans are willing to move to another state or county in order to find better and/or cheaper health insurance. Overall, 28 percent of Americans would move for the reason of better insurance, with 9 percent stating that it would be a major reason and 19 percent listing it as a minor reason. The willingness to relocate is especially high among young and low-income adults.

Among adults aged 18 to 29, 42 percent would factor health insurance into their decision on where to live. About one-third of employees earning less than $30,000 per year would consider moving for health insurance reasons and the lowest-income earnings are among the groups most influenced by geography. Researchers promote the idea of moving for coverage as a fairly simple and frequently smart tactic considering how widely premiums can vary within a small area.

“This suggests that many people could move and get better, cheaper health insurance without having to upend their entire lives,” said Bankrate.com insurance analyst Doug Whiteman. “We’re not necessarily talking about moving across the country and needing to find new jobs, schools, friends, and so on. Sometimes moving just a few miles can significantly improve your health insurance situation.”

Additionally, information from the Department of Health and Human Services shows that base prices under the PPACA frequently differ sharply even from county-to-county.