More than 865,000 New Yorkers enrolled for health-insurance coverage through NY State of Health, the state’s health-insurance marketplace, according to a news release on the marketplace website on the morning of April 2. The deadline for the open-enrollment period ended at 11:59 p.m. on March 31. The 865,487 figure listed on the website was up […]
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More than 865,000 New Yorkers enrolled for health-insurance coverage through NY State of Health, the state’s health-insurance marketplace, according to a news release on the marketplace website on the morning of April 2.
The deadline for the open-enrollment period ended at 11:59 p.m. on March 31.
The 865,487 figure listed on the website was up from the 812,000 that the marketplace announced as of 9 a.m. on March 30.
Nearly 39,000 New Yorkers enrolled for coverage on March 31, the final day of the open-enrollment period.
The Central New York Business Journal requested information on local sign-numbers from HealtheConnections Health Planning of Syracuse, but was told NY State of Health didn’t permit the organization to give an interview on the topic.
The New York State Department of Health and NY State of Health announced last September that they selected HealtheConnections Health Planning to spearhead the navigator program for Onondaga County.
ACR Health of Syracuse, which also provided a similar service for those seeking coverage, enrolled 24 individuals and handled more than 4,000 applications since the enrollment period launched in October, says Steve Wood, community health coordinator.
Wood called the results “phenomenal” for his agency.
“I don’t know what we expected,” Wood says. “Nobody’s ever done this before.”
Those who filled out applications but didn’t enroll through ACR Health may have done so for a “variety of reasons,” says Wood.
“Some people did not want to pay for the insurance, or it was more expensive than they thought,” he says.
Others may have finished the application on their own without following up with ACR Health, he adds.
ACR Health is a nonprofit whose website describes it as a “legacy of AIDS Community Resources.”
ACR Health, located at 627 W. Genesee St. in Syracuse, subcontracted with the New York City–based Community Service Society of New York that was awarded a state grant to provide the service, Wood said.
The nonprofit is not among the agencies that partnered with HealtheConnections Health Planning of Syracuse, which provided similar patient-navigator services through a contract with the state, according to Wood.
Statewide figures
NY State of Health did not break down how many of the more than 865,000 people across New York enrolled in private insurance and how many people were eligible to sign up for Medicaid plans. However, past data from state and federal officials indicates it’s roughly a 50-50 split in New York.
More than 1.21 million completed their applications for health-insurance coverage since the launch of NY State of Health last Oct. 1, according to the news release.
New Yorkers who wanted to enroll for health-care coverage in 2014 through the Affordable Care Act had until 11:59 p.m. March 31 when the enrollment period closed.
However, the state health exchange will provide additional assistance to those individuals who took steps to apply for coverage but were unable to complete the enrollment process before the March 31 deadline, NY State of Health said.
All applications and enrollments in health plans must then be completed by the end of the day on April 15.
More than 70 percent of those who have signed up to date were uninsured at the time of application, according to the NY State of Health news release.
With the exception of individuals who took steps to enroll prior to the March 31 deadline, yet require assistance after March 31, only those individuals and families who qualify for a special-enrollment period can enroll for coverage in 2014 as of April 1.
Events qualifying for the special-enrollment period include getting married or divorced, gaining a dependent, losing employer insurance, or permanently moving into New York.
Individuals and families who do not qualify for a special-enrollment period will not be able to enroll in coverage until the next open-enrollment period, which begins on Nov. 15 for coverage starting on Jan. 1, 2015.
New Yorkers eligible for Medicaid and all children can enroll in coverage through NY State of Health at any time during the year, the release stated.
NY State of Health’s Small Business Marketplace for employers with 50 or fewer employees is open to enrollment throughout the year.
Plans offered on NY State of Health are available in four metal tiers (platinum, gold, silver, and bronze) from 16 insurers and 10 dental insurers.
The NY State of Health website, the NY State of Health customer-service center, and certified in-person navigators will remain available to assist those New Yorkers who are eligible to enroll throughout the remainder of the year, according to NY State of Health.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
