Pennsylvania: Chalk up 42.5K more Off-Exchange Enrollments!

Hat Tip To: 
MP, Andrew S.

Two different people sent me two different articles which help piece together more of the off-exchange puzzle.

From January, this article about Independence Blue Cross of Pennsylvania:

Independence, the region's largest health insurer, with 13 plans on the marketplace, reported enrolling 52,278 people from Oct. 1, when healthcare.gov opened, through Dec. 24, the last day to buy for the new year....

Just over half of Independence's new members - 27,528 - went through the federal marketplace; 24,750 of them used the company's website, telesales, or the mobile Independence Express and brokers.

OK, that's 24,750 (47.3%) off-exchange enrollments through 12/24.

Then, yesterday (3/18):

"We're looking to get as many people as insured as possible, [to] make sure they're aware the deadline is coming,"  says Koleen Cavanaugh,  a director of marketing for Independence Blue Cross, one of two companies offering plans on Philadelphia’s exchange. She says more than 90,000 people in the region, across all ages, have joined plans since open enrollment started.

I see no reason why that 47% would have changed since late December, so Independence's off-exchange tally should be up to around 42,570 by now.

(Oh, and before you ask, I already checked to see if Independence Blue Cross is the same as Highmark, which I've already reported off-exchange numbers for; according to one of my contributors, "They are not the same company. Highmark just holds the "Shield" in the region. Highmark only sells in western and central PA. Also, a Highmark and IBC merger was denied/withdrawn in 2009."

Fair enough. 42.5K more it is.

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