MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 7, 2016) - With 2017 rates now available for review on Healthcare.gov, HealthPocket conducted a nationwide survey of Americans regarding health insurance affordability. 1,133 people from across the country were asked, "Given the rate increases on health insurance, what is the highest monthly premium you could afford to pay for health insurance in 2017?"

Half of Americans' answer to the survey question was "$100 or less." This response rate (52.5 percent) was over three times as frequent as the next most popular answer, "$200 a month" Least popular among the answers was "$500 a month" which only represented only 4.8 percent of respondents. When examining the responses of millennials between the ages of 18 and 34, HealthPocket found that 60.1 percent of that population indicated that $100 or less was the most they could afford with respect to monthly health insurance premiums. Separately, HealthPocket also noted that among women $100 or less was the answer 57.2 percent of the time, compared to 47.4 percent for men.

The survey results come at a time when Affordable Care Act rates have risen by double digits in many regions. This increase in premium expense is experienced most acutely by Americans who buy private insurance without subsidies. However, even people with premium subsidies can face substantial insurance-related costs if their incomes are above 250% of the Federal Poverty Level, disqualifying them from cost-sharing assistance. For example, in 2017 deductibles for entry-level bronze plans average $6,092 while deductibles for silver plans, the most popular of exchange plans, average $3,572. For family coverage, these averages increase to $12,393 and $7,474 respectively.

"This year's survey results," commented Kev Coleman, Head of Research & Data at HealthPocket, "continue to point for the need for a broadly available $100-a-month insurance option, particularly for Americans who do not benefit from tax subsidies. An open question is whether the next administration will make any progress on this front."

The full survey findings as well as the report methodology can be reviewed at "For More than Half of U.S., $100 or Less Remains the Maximum Most Americans Can Pay for Health Insurance Premiums."

HealthPocket.com is a free website that compares and ranks all health insurance plans, helping individuals, families, and small businesses to make their best health plan decisions. HealthPocket publishes health insurance market analyses and other consumer advocacy research. HealthPocket's research is nonpartisan and uses only objective data from government, non-profit, and private sources that carry no conditions that might restrict the site from serving as an unbiased resource. HealthPocket, Inc. is independently managed and based in Mountain View, California. Learn more at www.HealthPocket.com.