Steady Enrollment Numbers In The States Cloak Underlying Turbulence In Marketplace
On the surface it looks like there wasn't much change surrounding the exchanges, as the numbers come in about the same as last year. But that doesn't account for the fact that there's been a lot of shake-up in how people are paying for coverage and who is in the marketplace.
Politico Pro:
Stagnant Enrollment In State Exchanges Masks Shake-Up In Marketplace Behavior
Enrollment in state-based Obamacare marketplaces for 2018 is on target to nearly equal sign-ups last year, according to the latest enrollment data. But the seemingly stagnant results belie significant shifts in who’s signing up for coverage, how they’re paying for it and what type of plan they’re purchasing. Half of the 10 state-based exchanges that extended their enrollment periods beyond the Dec. 15 deadline for the federal HealthCare.gov exchange have released final enrollment figures. Connecticut, Minnesota and Rhode Island show slight bumps in enrollment, while Colorado and Maryland saw a marginal erosion compared with 2017. (Demko, 1/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Signups For Health Insurance Through Covered California Up 7 Percent
About 342,000 Californians have signed up for health insurance through Covered California since open enrollment began in November — up roughly 7 percent compared to this time last year, according to figures released by the agency Monday. Covered California is the state agency created under the Affordable Care Act to sell health plans to Californians who do not get insurance through their employers or Medi-Cal, the insurance program for the poor. (Ho, 1/22)
The CT Mirror:
Breaking Down This Year’s Access Health CT Open Enrollment
In all, 114,134 residents enrolled in private health insurance through the state’s health insurance exchange, Access Health CT, during the shortened, seven-week open enrollment period that ended on Dec. 22. That represents a 2.3 percent increase from 2017, when open enrollment lasted for three months. (Rigg, 1/23)