Washington Healthplanfinder Releases February Enrollment Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 20, 11:00 am PST

 

Washington Healthplanfinder Releases February Enrollment Report

Update Provides County-by-County Data, Enrollment by Age Range and More

 

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington Healthplanfinder today released a comprehensive data report that provides more detailed information regarding Washington State residents who enrolled in health coverage from Oct. 1 to Feb. 28.*

The report includes information about enrollees including their age ranges, enrollment by county and even enrollments by health plan “Metal Level” such as Gold, Silver and Bronze. Some of the key takeaways from the report include:

 

• Qualified Health Plan Enrollment Increases by 18 Percent: Enrollments in Qualified Health Plans (private health plans) saw an increase from 89,243 in the month of January to 105,404 in the month of February.

 

• 82 Percent of Qualified Health Plan Enrollees Qualify for Financial Help: More than 86,000 Qualified Health Plans enrollees were eligible for financial help in in the form of a tax credit to lower their monthly premiums. More than 60,000 or 57 percent of individuals who enrolled in a private plan were also eligible for cost-sharing reductions to lower their out-of-pocket costs such as co-pays and deductibles, which is available for individuals and families making up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level.

 

• Call Center Handles Increasing Number of Calls, Lowers Number of “Call Back” Messages: The toll-free Customer Support Center was able to handle 143,000 calls in the month of February, up from 106,000 calls in the month of January.  The number of callers who received a message asking them to call back at another time due to high call volumes decreased significantly from 623,000 messages in January to 38,000 in February. This can be attributed to additional call center staff and ongoing system improvements to resolve outstanding application issues.

 

• Young Adult Enrollment Continues to Rise: Young adults ages 18 to 34 increased to 23 percent of total enrollment in Qualified Health Plans in February, up from 22 percent. Total number of enrollees ages 18 to 34 includes 24,500 in private health plans with an additional 127,215 in Washington Apple Health (Medicaid).

 

To view the detailed enrollment report for February, please click here*.

 

Medicaid note: Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) does not have an open enrollment period.  Individuals and families will be able to apply and complete their renewals via www.wahealthplanfinder.org throughout the year. Questions about Healthplanfinder should be directed to the toll-free Customer Support Center at 1-855-WAFINDER; Apple Health questions can be directed to the toll-free hot line at 1-800-562-3022 or emailed to AskMedicaid@hca.wa.gov

 

For more information about Washington Healthplanfinder and to enroll in health coverage, please visit www.wahealthplanfinder.org.

 

CONTACT
Washington Healthplanfinder, Bethany Frey, (360) 688-7752

Washington Health Care Authority, Jim Stevenson, (360) 725-1915

 

About Washington Healthplanfinder

Washington Healthplanfinder is a new online marketplace for individuals, families and small businesses in Washington to compare and enroll in health insurance coverage and gain access to tax credits, reduced cost sharing and public programs such as Medicaid. Washington Healthplanfinder began enrolling consumers on Oct. 1, 2013, for health insurance coverage beginning on Jan. 1, 2014. The open enrollment period extends through March 31, 2014.

 

About the Washington Health Benefit Exchange

The Washington Health Benefit Exchange is a public-private partnership established in accordance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) with the goal to redefine people’s experience with health care through the creation of a new health insurance marketplace for individuals and small businesses. The Exchange is separate from the state and governed by an independent 11-member board appointed by former Gov. Chris Gregoire in Dec. 2011. 

# # #