Dive Brief:
- New York has enrolled a total of more than 2.8 million people in its ACA health plans from the opening of the marketplace, NY State of Health, in 2013 through the conclusion of the 2016 open enrollment period, according to data released Friday by the state's health department.
- The total was raised by almost 700,000 during the last enrollment period, bringing an enrollment increase of 33%.
- The state touted that 92% of its marketplace enrollees were uninsured at the time they applied for ACA coverage.
Dive Insight:
New York officials credited the state with taking a bold approach in getting its uninsured rate to the lowest it's been in decades.
“New York has led the nation in implementing a progressive plan to make access to health care a reality for New Yorkers," State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said in a prepared statement.
The department's news release pointed specifically toward NY State of Health’s Essential Plan, which was made available for this first time this year and aimed to attract low-income enrollees through an income-based, no-deductible plan design featuring premiums of $20 or less per month, low copayments, and free preventive care.
The plan served as a test case for a Basic Health Program under the ACA. Branded by New York as the Essential Plan, it enrolled 379,559 people as of January 2016 and continues to allow enrollment all year. The state estimated in April that it would get 470,000 people enrolled in the plan.
New York could expect to see potentially rougher enrollment experiences for 2017 due to a swath of premium increases. The state released its approved rate increases earlier this month, which for individual premiums will come to an average increase of 16.6%.