More than 3,300 Enrolled in QHPs in Alaska, Says HHS

The number of Alaskans enrolled in qualified health plans through the federally-run marketplace increased nearly tenfold in December, according to the latest enrollment report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Earlier HHS figures showed that only 398 Alaskans had enrolled in a marketplace health plan by the end of November. But that number jumped to 3,356 by Dec. 28, according to the latest figures.

Two insurers are selling marketplace plans in Alaska: Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska and Moda Health, based in Portland.

According to the most recent HHS data, four states had lower enrollment numbers than Alaska for the first three months of open enrollment. Hawaii, which is running its own state-based exchange, signed up 2,192 individuals. The other three are all using the federally-run marketplace. They are North Dakota (2,624), South Dakota (3,194) and Delaware (3,273).

In Alaska, 6,386 households completed applications for coverage through the federal marketplace by the end of December, for a total of 9,827 individuals. Of those, 8,004 individuals were determined eligible to enroll in a marketplace plan; 4,637 of them qualified for a federal premium subsidy.

Also, 1,509 applicants were determined eligible for Medicaid or the state Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). There are no “newly eligible” Medicaid enrollees in Alaska because the state has chosen not to participate in the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.

Approximately 26 percent of Alaskans who enrolled in marketplace plans through the end of December were young adults ages 18 to 34 (the so-called “young invincibles”), which is slightly higher than the national average of 24 percent across all marketplaces.

About 29 percent of Alaska’s enrollees were ages 55 to 64, compared to 33 percent nationally. Approximately 8 percent were children. The remaining 37 percent were adults ages 35 to 54.

Nationally, approximately 2.2 million individuals enrolled in QHPs by the end of 2013, according to HHS.