Everyone expected a last-minute rush to enroll in new health insurance plans created under the Affordable Care Act as the 2014 deadline for “open enrollment” approached on March 31st. In the end, many are amazed at the preliminary numbers as they continue to roll in. Kudos go out to all who helped outreach to the public and who helped uninsured people enroll!
In New York, over 900,000 people have so far enrolled in either Medicaid, Child Health Plus (CHP), or new, private “Qualified Health Plans” (QHPs) through the state’s new health benefits exchange marketplace known as “New York State of Health” (NYSoH). Approximately another 350,000 or more people remain certified to enroll but haven’t yet completed the process, and they have until April 15th to do so. Of the enrollees, over 70% were previously uninsured. Slightly more than half qualified for public insurance programs like Medicaid and Child Health Plus, with the balance enrolling in QHPs. No details are yet known about how many qualified for premium subsidies and cost-sharing reductions for QHP coverage, but previous estimates were in the 70-80% range.
The New York State Dept. of Health has estimated that between 1.6-1.8 million people would enroll in coverage by 2016, so the state is already more than half-way toward it’s goal. With two more open enrollment periods ahead in the fall of 2014 and fall of 2015, officials are very optimistic going forward. The state is expected to release more specific demographic data on 2014 enrollees later this month. Data is still not known about those who enrolled in new health plans outside of the NYSoH exchange marketplace.
Nationally, the Obama administration announced on March 31 that 7.1 million people had enrolled in QHPs through exchange marketplaces, which exceeded their target for 2014. Since then, two studies have come out expanding on these numbers. On April 7, Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index released survey results that the national uninsurance rate fell from 18.0% in Sept. of last year to 14.5% in late March. Rates fell most dramatically among African-Americans (20.9% to 17.6%), and low-income households making less than $36,000 annual income (30.7% to 27.5%). On April 9, a survey by Rand American Life Panel estimated a net gain of 9.3 million Americans gaining health coverage as of mid-March, clocking the drop in uninsurance from 20.5% to 15.8%.
While enrollment into private QHPs is now over for 2014, the numbers will continue to rise for the rest of the year because “anytime enrollment” is still possible through NYSoH for those who qualify for Medicaid and CHP, and for small employers (50 or less full-time equivalent employees.) In addition, individuals and families who may experience a qualifying life event such as marriage/divorce, loss/change of job, relocation to a new state or region, etc. will qualify for a 60-day “special enrollment period” into either a QHP, Medicaid, or CHP. Further information on these options is available from the NYSoH website and Call Center (855-355-5777), or from the state’s designated consumer assistance program, Community Health Advocates (888-614-5400).