Texas, Ariz., Va. Among States That Saw 11th-Hour Rush
Many states saw a doubling of residents signing up for private plans through the federal exchanges in the final weeks of open enrollment for 2014. Most enrollees received federal subsidies.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch: More Than 216,000 Virginians Enroll In Health Plans
More than 216,000 Virginians have enrolled in health insurance plans on the new federal marketplace, more than twice as many as the government’s initial target and more than doubling the number who had signed up through March 1. Since then, almost 113,000 people selected health plans in the marketplace in Virginia in the final month and a half of enrollment, including those who were in line for coverage when the sign-up period ended officially March 31, according to enrollment figures federal officials released Thursday. The increase in enrollment in Virginia was part of a surge nationally that boosted the total number of sign-ups to 8 million people (Martz, 5/2).
The Associated Press: Data Show Most In NY Health Exchange Get Subsidies
A federal report shows nearly three-fourths of those insured through New York's new health exchange are getting financial assistance. Applicants with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty line are eligible for tax credits to help offset premium payments (5/1).
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Almost 140,000 Wisconsin Residents Enrolled In Obamacare
About 140,000 people in Wisconsin have enrolled in health plans sold on the federal marketplace set up through the Affordable Care Act, figures released Thursday show, with enrollment soaring in the state and nationwide as the law's first open-enrollment period came to a close. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said 139,815 people in Wisconsin had enrolled in plans sold on the marketplace as of April 19, with 91% of those individuals or families eligible for subsidies to help offset the cost of their plans. Nationally, 8 million people enrolled in plans sold on the federal and state marketplaces, and 85% of those were eligible for subsidized coverage (Boulton, 5/1).
The Texas Tribune: In Texas, Obamacare Enrollment Spiked Before Deadline
Total Texas enrollment in the federal health insurance marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act more than doubled in the month leading up to the deadline, according to figures released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to March 1, 295,000 Texans had enrolled for health coverage under the federal health law, which requires most people to sign up for an insurance plan this year or face financial penalties. By April 19 -- a deadline the federal government extended in part to account for technological troubles -- that number had grown to 733,757, the highest enrollment jump in the nation (Sementelli and Ura, 5/1).
The Dallas Morning News: Surge Of Texans Signed Up For Health Care In Final Weeks
New numbers out show that 734,000 Texans bought health insurance through the federal marketplace from last October to April 19, 2014, a report released by Health and Human Services shows. Prior to March 1, an anemic 295,000 people had signed up, but in the final stretch of the Affordable Care Act first-year sign-up, another 439,000 obtained private insurance through the exchange. Health care advocates applauded the new sign-up numbers and said the results are impressive, especially in the face of strong opposition from virtually every state Republican leader (Hoppe, 5/1).
The Associated Press: Maryland Falls Short Of Insurance Enrollment Goal
Newly released figures show that Maryland fell far short of projections [for] enrolling residents in private insurance through its troubled health exchange, even as national enrollment figures exceed expectations. Numbers released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services show that through April 19, 67,757 Marylanders have signed up for private insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Last year, federal officials had projected that 150,000 Marylanders would enroll (5/1).
The Detroit Free Press: More Than 250,000 In Michigan Signed Up For Plans Under Health Care Reform
More than a quarter-million Michiganders chose health care plans under federal health reform -- more than expected, according to the government’s own estimates -- despite the law’s troubled six-month roll-out (Erb, 5/1).
The Des Moines Register: 29,163 Iowans Signed Up For Insurance On Healthcare.gov
More than 29,000 Iowans selected private health-insurance plans on the government's new online marketplace before last month's deadline, federal officials said. Most of those who signed up for plans via healthcare.gov had low enough incomes to qualify for public subsidies to help pay premiums. The Department of Health and Human Services said 84 percent of the 29,163 Iowans who signed up for plans qualified for subsidies (Leys, 5/1).
Georgia Health News: State’s Final Exchange Sign-Ups Surprisingly High
More than 316,000 Georgians signed up for a health plan in the insurance exchange by the end of the enrollment period -- more than doubling the state’s figure at the end of February, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday. Georgia’s 127 percent enrollment growth since March 1 was rivaled by surges in several other states, including Texas’ 149 percent and Florida’s 123 percent, federal officials said. “The good burst of enrollees at the last minute reflects the number of uninsured in those states,’’ said Bill Custer, a health insurance expert at Georgia State University (Miller, 5/1).
The Chicago Sun-Times: Exceeding Predictions, 217,000 Illinoisans Sign Up For Obamacare Insurance
So far, more than 217,000 people in Illinois have bought private health insurance created under the Affordable Care Act in its first year of open enrollment. Pushed by last-minute sign-ups, Illinois, like most states, exceeded the expectations set by the federal government. But the number of Hispanics who bought a plan -- both in Illinois and nationally -- fell short compared to the number of eligible Hispanics who lacked insurance, the federal government reported Thursday. And nationally, the percentage of young and theoretically healthy enrollees didn’t budge much (Thomas, 5/1).
The Arizona Republic: State Health Officials Happy With Surge Of Late Sign-Ups
Nearly a quarter million Arizona residents have secured private health insurance or Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act as a late surge during the final weeks of enrollment more than doubled marketplace sign-ups. An eleventh-hour blitz by community groups assisting enrollees contributed to the surge, with 62,460 Arizonans signing up during the final six weeks to bring the enrollment total to 120,071. The six-month enrollment period was scheduled to run through March 31, but the federal government added two weeks to allow people who started the process to finish by mid-April (Alltucker, 5/1).