14.5 million Americans sign up for coverage during open enrollment

Photo: HealthCare.gov

A record 14.5 million people have signed up for 2022 health care coverage through the federal Affordable Care Act marketplaces during the most recent open enrollment period from November 1, 2021 to January 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced this week.

Of that total, 5.8 million have newly gained coverage. CMS credited the American Rescue Plan with lowering average monthly premiums for HealthCare.gov consumers by 23% compared to the 2021 enrollment period that ended before the ARP passed.

January 15 marked the end of the 2022 OEP for the 33 states using HealthCare.gov, as well as many of the state-based marketplaces. Enrollment remains open in Washington D.C. and five states – California, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island – through January 31.

In addition, to date, Washington D.C., Colorado, Marylan, and New York have established COVID-19 Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs) that allow uninsured consumers to sign up for coverage past the initial OEP end dates.

Of the 14.5 million people who have enrolled in marketplace coverage through January 15, 10.3 million live in the 33 states using HealthCare.gov and 4.2 million people live in the 17 states (and Washington D.C.) with state-based marketplaces using their own platforms. To date, three million new consumers that were previously not enrolled in health coverage gained coverage nationwide, a 17% increase compared to the end of the 2021 OEP, according to CMS.

Additionally, 32% of HealthCare.gov consumers (3.2 million) selected a plan for $10 or less per month after the additional subsidies provided by the American Rescue Plan. CMS expects those numbers to grow as enrollment remains open in several state-based marketplaces

WHAT'S THE IMPACT

This week, the Department of Health and Human Services' office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is also releasing a report analyzing new survey data that showed the uninsured rate fell in 2021 after the ARP and outreach efforts took effect. 

According to the report, the uninsured rate for the U.S. population was 8.9% for the third quarter of 2021 (July to September 2021), down from 10.3% for the last quarter of 2020 – corresponding to roughly 4.6 million more people with coverage over that time period. 

Coverage gains occurred among both children and working age adults, with the largest coverage gains for those with incomes under 200% of the poverty level (roughly $27,000 for a single adult or $56,000 for a family of four).

CMS also highlighted federal efforts to provide outreach to historically uninsured or underinsured communities. For example,through CMS, HHS revamped the Champions for Coverage program and quadrupled the number of Navigators to 1,500 certified Navigators whose task it is to help consumers enroll, and held more than 1,800 outreach and education events at accessible areas – such as local libraries, vaccination clinics, food drives, county fairs and job fairs.

Consumers who did not select a plan by the deadline may still have an opportunity to enroll – if they have certain life changes that could qualify them for a special enrollment period, or if they qualify for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program.

THE LARGER TREND

According to CMS data, about 8.3 million people selected individual market plans through the marketplaces using the federal platform during the 2021 open enrollment period. 

This total enrollment is nearly the same as enrollments during the 2020 open enrollment period, despite the fact that New Jersey and Pennsylvania transitioned to state-based exchange platforms starting with the 2021 open enrollment period.

After removing these states from the total plan selection totals in the 2020 open enrollment period and comparing year-over-year trends, the results show plan selections this year increased by 7% from 2020, despite a decline in new consumers. Also, for the fourth straight year, the consumer satisfaction rate at the call center remained high – averaging over 90% – throughout the entire stretch.
 

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com