Idaho: More than 97,000 QHPs thru 1/26/16

Your Health Idaho informs me that their official final OE3 total won't be announced until after February 15th, but here's a quick mini-update:

More than 97,000 Idahoans Select Insurance through Idaho Exchange
Lawmakers Get Update on Your Health Idaho’s Progress

BOISE, Idaho – Your Health Idaho executive director Pat Kelly went before lawmakers on Tuesday to give them an update on the second year of operations for Idaho’s state-based health insurance exchange. Kelly said Idahoans have benefitted from state lawmakers’ choice to keep the federal government out of Idaho’s health insurance decisions.

Currently, more than 97,000 Idahoans have selected a health insurance plan through the exchange. In 2015, Idaho ranked fourth in the nation per-capita for enrollments and had the highest enrollment numbers of any state-based health insurance exchange.

YHI also makes a strong case for keeping full state exchanges as opposed to moving to HealthCare.Gov (Matt Bevin of Kentucky might want to take notice...):

“Your Health Idaho is the lowest-cost exchange in the country and others are taking notice,” said Kelly. “Our lean and efficient business model has made us the subject of a case study by the health intelligence organization Leavitt Partners.”

As a state-based health insurance exchange, Your Health Idaho sets the assessment fee for health insurance plans sold through the exchange. The federal government’s fee is set at 3.5 percent, compared with Idaho’s 1.99 percent.

“By having a state-based exchange, Idahoans have saved $10 million in assessment fees so far,” said Kelly